Single Reviews: Slavic Soul Party, Public Enemy, Nas vs. Massive Attack

Slavic Soul Party- Jackson b/w Gangsta (Electric Cowbell Records)

Slavic Soul Party is a Balkan-fusion brass band  that produces a unique form of melting-pot musical madness. Their new single, “Jackson” — now available on 7″ single from Electric Cowbell Records — is an infectious concoction; an anthem for warm summer nights in the city. It opens with a lightly stuttered swell of horns, and we’re quickly flung into a world of gypsy jazz-funk, adrift and swinging, whisked through three minutes of heavy groove with cross-continental inflections. Trombones and trumpets lead the way, percussion follows quickly, and the melody winds its way through cultures and landscapes, leaving dancing and romance in its wake. The track on the B-side, “Gangsta“, is every bit as compelling: a Latin stomp with Romanian flourishes, it’s one part vodka, one part mezcal, mixed with a secret blend of botanicals and served chilled. It’s refreshing, melodic, and unexpectedly intoxicating.

While indebted to traditional forms, Slavic Soul Party imbues their music with a deeply funky sensibility. As America’s foremost Balksploitation group, they bring together the best of many cultures and create unique hybrids of sound: fanfares for international carnivals, dance tunes for trans-atlantic discotheques, and imaginary soundtracks to long-lost Eastern European midnight movies.

Public Enemy- I Shall Not Be Moved (Enemy Records/Spitdigital)

Public Enemy are dropping two new discs this year in celebration of their twenty-fifth anniversary. “I Shall Not Be Moved” is the first taster of what’s in store: a tight and passionate statement of intent, four minutes of funk guitar sample, funky beat, and Chuck D’s booming invocations to action. The lyrics make reference to Troy Davis, “Rapper’s Delight”, and Sonny & Cher, and fit perfectly in the P.E. tradition of funkily pro-active political statements. Add a slithering synth breakdown, plenty of Flavor Flav’s patented interjections, and you have a single that stands alongside any moment of their stellar quarter-century career; another classically thrilling burst of sound from Long Island’s prophets of revolutionary boom-bap.

Nas vs. Massive Attack- The Don [Massive Attack Remix] (Def Jam Records/self released)

British dance-hop pioneers Massive Attack have released their first remix in recent memory: a radical reinvention of The Don, the advance single from Nas’ forthcoming album Life Is Good. And it is SPECTACULAR: the best parts of the band’s musical arsenal providing a foundation for the intricate wordplay, a constantly-shifting stew of thick liquid beats, ragga vocal samples, and absurdly deep keyboard lines. The original version’s stripped-down rhythm track created a sense of menace and urban claustrophobia, but Massive Attack ups the ante, creating an expansive soundscape: bass rumbles underfoot and drums echo on all sides, sounds drop out and reappear suddenly, storm clouds gather overhead and a vast expanse of intertwined vocals and treated synths stretch out toward the horizon.