Africa Hitech is more than a name; it is an ideology - one that embodies its member's passions for an eclectic diaspora of electronic styles, from dub and acid to UK garage, grime, techno, house and Jamaican dancehall.
Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek stand at the intersection of all these styles (and more) and the result is a bass-fuelled manifesto: the opening salvo being 'Blen'.
Created at Red Bull music Academy in 2007, Africa Hitech forms part of Mark Pritchard’s collective of projects – MPP Productions. MPP is a banner under which all the wide-ranging productions from this prolific producer can co-exist and released through Warp it includes Africa Hitech, Harmonic 313, new Reload material, and others.
Essentially twisting the sonic palette of Detroit techno to fit their vision of post-apocalyptic riddims, 'Blen' is all oxygen-sucking bass kicks and razor snares until Spacek comes in over a chorus of insect synths. This is not the smooth Steve Spacek you may know from his eponymous band, this is Steve Spacek as a rudeboy from the future. Decrying haters trying to “take di piss”, his unique patois creates it’s own intriguing atmosphere.
As a counterpoint to the paranoid bounce of the title track, the 'Blen Remix' stretches things out for the party. Flipping the vocals over percolating Garage beats and drenching it in swelling synths, it might as well be a master class for those trying to regain the sound of London circa 2000.
B-side “The Sound Of Tomorrow” is an inkling of the range that Africa Hitech will cover in the coming months. A deep cut of synth soul full of ricocheting drum machines and vocoder choruses, its title is a fully accurate summary of the Africa Hitech aesthetic.
An opening shot, listen out for more Africa Hitech productions in 2010.
WAP 283 Tracklisting
A1. Blen
A2. Blen Rmx
B1. The Sound of Tomorrow
Digital only - Blen (Instrumental)
Bleep only - Blen [Clean]
Bleep only - Blen (Rmx) [Clean]
No comments:
Post a Comment