Mental Combat issue 830

Here’s an album for the next summer that is so essential that you’d better be hibernating in a block of carbonite to come up with a good enough reason for not being in possession of its super-duper uberness.

It’s without question that the anticipated team-up of Chasm, Sir Robbo and Ozi Batla would culminate into something more than average. Average? Fuck average for a joke. Their collective effort as Astronomy Class and the resulting Exit Strategy (Elefant Traks/Inertia) is ballistic and one of the most rewarding listening experiences of the year. It’s almost too bloody good to really exist and there really hasn’t been anything remotely similar to come out of this country. Hip hop or otherwise.

The combination of dub and hip hop with emcees has just reached an apex and I say it’d be a long time before this gets bested. People dabble with a song here or there, but never have I heard an entire long player that hit all the spots with these musical ingredients. And one of the most satisfying aspects is that they didn’t set about to use any contemporary influences or current signature sounds. So there’s no clichéd obligatory drum n’ bass track to fuck up the flow and no zippity zoo electronic digi-noodling for the trendies. It’s all down-tempo roots influenced milky goodness pulled from the lactating bovine udders of Jamaican musical inspiration.

Sir Robbo’s pedigree in the reggae scene has been undernoted, stemming back for decades when he used be in one of the few, though he’s more well known for being a Frigid stalwart and one half of the enigmatic Tooth. Chasm has been making noise with the Awakenings Crew and released a fantastic self-titled album back in 2004. As for Ozi Batla? Well, he’s a rather tall lad. He’s on fiyah all over this, without a questionable moment or suspect lyric in sight. He even gets his dulcet swerve on for a few tunes, most distinctly on the tremendous A Bright Tomorrow. Love the stripped
down Brink of War Pt III with guest Ben Ezra and some superb double copy deejay skills from DJ Skoob. Lyrics kids, lyrics.

So musically it’s straight hip hop with a hefty dose of reggae and dub, but another element that stands out is the amazing quantity of hook-laden songs. They either spent a lot of time crafting the 14 songs or had about 100 to choose from, for it’s rare to get so many memorable tracks in one nifty package.

Wisely they included three extra dubbed-out versions tracks on the CD. And if the trio themselves aren’t enough to haul you in, then surely the appearances of Urthboy, Mnemonic Ascent’s BVA, Koolism’s Hau, and the Lotek from the UK will double the gravity pull. And Elefant Traks associates and chicks with voices to die for, Jane Tyrell and Gina Mitchell, only compound the brilliant outside help contained within. Whoo hoo, check Gina’s input on School Daze for brain glue. Been stuck in mine for days now.

Snap up the explosive sounding double vinyl, for it will be one of those records that will be pulled out every summer without question. Expect to hear a lot of this over the next few months. Should be all over the radio, in the parks, on the beach. Highlight out of many, would be Done the Sums with Hau and Urthboy holding the extra mic cords, Murda 1 on the decks and Sloth on the trumpet. Can’t front on that magnificent seven. Oh and let’s not forget our man 2Buck who gets some needlework included. Big thanks also to Mike Burnham for the sublime mixing via some analogue gear and King Willy for mastering this.

So yeah, I reckon the album is shit hot and kills overseas competition with a thousand cuts made by a thousand knives. Err, well, three scruffy looking dudes with paddle pop sticks would have done it just as easily. Before I get word that you’ve just shrugged your shoulders at my rant, get yourself an ice cream container and put it on your a head, cause I have a rock in my hand and I’m a pretty good shot. Your descendants need this experience assimilated into your life experience so it can be carried down for generations. You. Must. Have. For they done good.

BLAZE
Stealthmag.com/board