Bootsy Collins - What's Bootsy Doin' (1988) (FLAC/320)

Plenty of grooves for the brain and the booty

0001    Party On Plastic (What's Bootsy Doin'?) 3:57
0002    Subliminal Seduction (Funk-Me Dirty) 3:31
0003    Leakin' 4:16
0004    Shock-It-To-Mel 4:57
0005    1st One 2 The Egg Wins (The Human Race) 4:21
0006    Love Song 3:33
0007   (Iwannebee) Kissin' U 4:18
0008    *-ing The Luv' Gun' 3:45
0009    Yo-Moma-Loves Ya 5:22
0010    Save What's Mine For Me 4:17

FLAC

320

Neneh Cherry - Raw Like Sushi (1989) (FLAC/320)

These days Neneh Cherry seems as happy to be known for her cooking as for her music. But back in 1989 she took the world by storm when she served up Raw Like Sushi, an intercontinental melting pot of rap, soul and pop influences that yielded hit singles Buffalo Stance, Manchild and Kisses On The Wind.

Born in Sweden to a highly bohemian family (musician father and stepfather, artist mother) and gaining an impressive pre-fame musical pedigree (rubbing shoulders with such reggae royalty as Bim Sherman in Adrian Sherwood's New Age Steppers) Neneh's feisty femininity breathed life into late 80s chart scene. Though other successes would follow – most notably international smash 7 Seconds with Youssou N'dour – she would never recreate the impact of her debut.

Much of that impact can be attributed to starting the album with the biggest tunes. Buffalo Stance, with its undulating synths, ''You go girl!'' sentiments and killer hooks is every bit the floor-filler it was ten years ago. The offbeat, ambient ballad Manchild (co-written with Massive Attack's 3D) showcases Cherry's maternal side, while the Cuban-tinged Kisses On The Wind's autobiographical words give an intriguing insight into a young girl who wanted to be remembered for more than just her incredible looks.

The quality does dip a little once we get past the hits, with lots of sub-Prince keyboard funk and mocked up party FX. The straight rap tunes have dated the most, but Neneh's lyrics are a hoot - slamming together pop culture and pop psychology with endearing results. Compared to the raunch of today's charts, her attitudes are unusually tame (''My body is clean but my mind is bad'', ''he wasn’t impressed cause I wouldn't get undressed'') valuing love, monogamy and genuineness above all else. Other plusses include a nice nod to her reggae past on duet My Bitch - when Gilly G breaks into the first verse of Leroy Smart's Happiness Is My Desire - and some stripped down remixes of the singles which give the album a closing lift. Frontloaded it may be, yet most of Raw Like Sushi still sounds fresh. bbc.co.uk <reviews>

TRACKLIST

1 Buffalo Stance 5:42 / 2 Manchild 3:52 / 3 Kisses On The Wind 3:57

4 Inner City Mamma 4:51 / 5 The Next Generation 5:05 / 6 Love Ghetto 4:29

7 Heart 5:09 / 8 Phoney Ladies 3:54 / 9 Outré Risqué Locomotive 5:05

10 So Here I Come 4:03 / 11 My Bitch 5:27 / 12 Heart (It's A Demo) 4:52

13 Buffalo Stance (Sukka Mix) 5:21 /14 Manchild (The Oldschool Mix) 5:31

FLAC

320

Bomb The Bass – Beat Dis · The Very Best Of Bomb The Bass (1999)

Bomb The Bass is the group name for Tim Simenon's innovative dance collective who burst on to the developing underground, acid-house scene in the late 1980s under the auspices of pioneering label Rhythm King.

Simenon, born in london in 1968, was a DJ at the legendary Wag club when he decided to attend a studio engineering course. With a bag full of records to sample from his studio trickery allied to the growth of homemade dance records he put together his first record Beat Dis wich reached number 2 in the UKin february 1988.

With it's innovative and starting use of samples, from Thunderbirds to the hi-fi demonstrtation LP "Journey Into Stereophonic Sound" it was hugely influential on the UK dance scene and a pop world looking for inspiration.

Meanwhile Simenon helped to pioneer the DJ-as-artist trend, pre dating Norman Cook and giving namechecks, within the records, to such luminaries of the wheels of steel as westwood and Mark Moore (Of S-Express Fame)

The debut album from Bomb The Bass was Into The Dragon released in october 1988 wich produced two further top 10 hits in the same year - Megablast / Don't Make Me Wait and Say A Little Player featuring the vocals of Maureen Walsh.

Simenon continued to produce several massive hits and groundbreaking tracks, for other artists, Neneh Cherry "Buffalo Stance", Adamski "Killer" and Seal's "Crazy". Not gaining enough credit for these collaborations he return to Bomb The Bass with another top 10 hit "Winter In July", in 1991 taken from the second album, "Unkown Territory". The Album marked a change of direction more trip hop than techno.

Around this time he was forced to change the group's name, temporarily, falling foul of sensitive types during the Gulf war!

Tim Simenon continues to produce other acts, working with Bjork and Naomi Campbell, among others, while Bomb The Bass activities are on hold!

TRACKLIST

Beat Dis (12" Version) 5:58

Megablast (Rap Merlin & DJ Dezire) 6:52

Say A Little Prayer 5:28

The Air You Breathe 6:53

Don't Make Me Wait 4:19

Liquid Metal 4:24

Shake It 5:11

Dynamite Beats 1:46

Run Baby Run 4:47

On The Cut (2000 AD) 3:53

Hey You 3:24

Switching Channels 4:48

Dune Buggy Attack 4:49

Winter In July (Ubiquity Mix) 7:13

Megamix 2:57

FLAC