The Groove Sessions Vol. 5
Chinese Man, 2020
8/10
Listen to The Groove Sessions Vol. 5
The Chinese Man labels offers us a special treat for their 15 year anniversary as a label with this Baja Frequencia, Scratch Bandits Crew and Chinese Man collaboration where trip-hop, dub, scratch music and plenty of other influences are present in spades.
“Hold Tight” starts the listen with much emphasis on strings before dense hip-hop enters the playful setting, and “Break Down” follows with a buzzing display of glitchy electro-pop fun.
Elsewhere, “Party At Jay’s” brings some island flavor into the rhythmic landscape and cumbia nods, while “Ayalamih” recruits several vocalists and some spacey moments in the busy and melodic dub atmosphere. “Bonde Do Gigi”, one of the album’s best, then alternates between bright and creative electronica and quieter ebbs of careful song craft.
Deeper cuts recruit the innovative sound manipulation of “You Can Go…”, and “Just Before” exits the listen with many soundbites and a cosmic influence to the energetic, instantly mesmerizing music.
The 3 bands isolated themselves in the mountains for a week to produce these 15 tracks, and the result is a listen that’s not to be missed if you’re a fan of anything on the Chinese Man label or have an affinity for old school beats and dance floor friendly ingenuity.
Travels well with: Baja Frequencia- Hot Kats; Tumi & Chinese Man- The Journey