- Siafu are a breed of African army ants that march by the millions in swiftly moving columns; even elephants are said to flee from their juggernaut-like advance. For our purposes, Siafu is also the partnership of London's Paul Crognale and Angus Paterson, co-founders of the new, vinyl-only label Bokhari. If there's a link between the two, you might find it in the methodical way their music moves. That's especially true on the creeping Slunk Dub, their second single. With its 95 BPM pulse and flash-frozen Balearic vibes, it shows the influence of Mark E, who contributed a remix to the label's first EP; in shape and mood, it's particularly reminiscent of Quiet Village's "Dave's Sex Bits" remix.
True to its title, the track creeps steadily along, with faintly acidic sizzle adding a sense of menace to dubbed-out piano chords and shuffling drums, before a soaring, pitch-bent synthesizer lead sweeps through the clouds like a chillout apotheosis. Neville Watson's remix brings the tune back up to house speed, and while his methods are hardly unusual (pumping piano chords, 303 squelch, 808 claps, subtle dub delay and Philly-inspired string ostinato), the end result is more than serviceable—a nicely detailed house tool capable of drawing clubbers to the floor like ants to a ripe piece of fruit.
Tracklist A1 Siafu - Slunk Dub
A2 Siafu - Slunk Dub (Neville Watson Remix)
B1 Disrupted Project - 1.2
B2 Disrupted Project - 1.2 (Siafu Dub)