ALBUMS

SMITH & MIGHTY
DJ Kicks
(!K7)

Smith & Mighty is back! In the early summer of 1995 their album Bass Is Maternal made some noise in the general Bristol sound fever that came to dominate the music scene far too long. Bass Is Maternal had a slightly different vibe with reggae, more deep dubs, more house and were more jungle, as drum`n bass was called back then, than any other so called Bristol act. There were Tricky, Massive Attack, Portishead and Smith & Mighty. The first three was heading for their, by all means well deserved, share of success and fortune. Smith & Mighty remained an independent underground act, mainly due to the course of a musical disagreement with a major record company. They had club hits, made remixes for other artists and established their credibility in the dance scene.

Now, time is on their side and the new remix album DJ-Kicks is to be placed in reference to Roni Size & Reprazents New Form, both albums includes drum´n bass as well as songs. Where Roni Size reaches for hip hop and soul music on tracks like New Forms, Watching Windows and Share The Fall, Smith & Mighty is still reaching into deep deep dub and reggae. On this album they have gathered and mixed a major part of the Bristol scene´s contemporary artists. Here is also Smith & Mighty´s own cuts, as well as many cuts from More Rockers, which is both a record company and a music collective, in which Smith & Mighty are the resident mixer wizards.

The first part of the CD is a feast of reggae and dub with horn blasts, keyboards and guitars phasing, gorgeous EQ work, delays and sound effects so mesmerizing that it could have been mixed by Scientist or King Tubby back in the mid 70´s. On the album is also the hard to find single, Walk On by , the old Bacharch and Davids standard delivered with breakbeats and stirring vocals.

DJ Lynx´s Quite Frankly is a powerful scratch and beat cut with a irresistible groove. Played at the right moment in the set it will surely send any dance crowd to the limits. Smith & Mighty´s Anyone with Jacki Jackson on vocals is a twisted techno track with a slow hip hop beat, signals from outer space and blasts of strings that will rock the slow dancing. More Rockers' Night Fall, with fast breakbeats and a very nice reggae cut, is absolutely charming. 'Nuff said, I think. Check out this one!