Muvolution

Maim That Tune

Downtempo
Released 26/05/2008
© 1995 Twentythree Records Ltd
£4.99

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Tracks

Light-hearted musical cunning and dogged individuality on one blissful album.

The Hull-based Fila Brazillia continues to pour out a more or less continuous stream of luxuriously lush ambient funk.

This second Fila long player takes off where last year’s brilliant album (Old Codes, New Chaos) left off. Here a whole heap of soothing synth washes and loose-limbed funky basslines are flip flopping their way through the album.

Tight programmed drums range skittishly from loping funk to “A Zed & Two L’s” romping world music junglism. Rather than falling for slo-mo trip hoppery, the effect is to create an updated jazz funk for techno fans, the sound of Carl Craig collaborating with Roy Ayers. [Deceased American comedian Bill Hicks is sampled at one point.]

Dancefloor friendly tunes like 'Harmonicas Are Shite’ or the winsome 'Slacker’, as well as providing superb evidence of the Fila school of stoner humour, house-up the tempo, but contrive to avoid breakdown cliches in place of a delicate lightness of touch that sends you skipping happily, rather than punching the air in a “let’s 'ave it” frenzy.

(Mixmag)