Black Grass – Oh Jah
October 11th, 2006 by rui
Brigton producer Mex has done the business on this tune. The original mix is a catchy, crispy reggae hip hop collision, with a massive chorus and great vocal performance from Jah Mamyah. The horns, the skank, the bass, the lyrics, the vibe all are pure carnival sound – the only thing missing is an air-horn inspired rewind ten seconds in.
The Nextmen remix spins the original a little, filtering the break chopping the groove, resulting in a tougher version.
If The Nextmen twist the track a little, Mr Trick slips a plastic innersleeve under it and whips it round as fast as his fingers will go. The distorted vox, filthy kick drum and harsh electronics make for a totally different, much darker mood. The bassline gives the subs a good workout too.
The ever-useful instrumental mix (in this case, of the original mix) is an especially welcome treat. With chirruping brass, hooky bass and precise riddim exposed, it stands up as tune in its own right.
Finally, the bonus track !Lucha Contra Del Injusticia! demonstrates sound political beliefs and at the very least as an awareness of the Spanish language through its title. It also shows how Mex’s range goes beyond hip hop reggae. A lovely latin collage of picked guitar and bossa bass and percussion, all held neatly in place with a rock solid break. This one builds and builds and builds adding more guitars, keys, percussion, vocal samples all the way to a wiggly acid line.
A five minute latin workout nestling amidst three very different, but strong mixes of a great skank hop song. Musical joy that will keep summer’s embers burning all the way to 2007 and well worth checking out. Can’t wait to hear the album…
‘Oh Jah’ by Black Grass is out on Catskills Records on 16th October
www.black-grass.com
www.catskillsrecords.com
