- You can have diverse opinions on most things, but whatever you think of a record like Soul Minority's Mozambique EP, it's undeniable that the title track here is the type of tune that a DJ is always glad to find when all else fails—a not-so-secret battle weapon which, while not breaking any new ground, can always be relied on to bring a simmering dance floor to the boil or revive those incoherent stragglers.
"Mozambique" is a gentle, lilting, tribal number that makes use of a spoken word incantation around which the backing builds in intensity. It's a story of subtle percussion and atmospheric keys. I can't say I'm a big fan of the "African music" commentary, but it works and while it does feel a bit cliché, you sometimes need someone stating the obvious over scything beats to make things hot. There's a rawness to this that also keeps things interesting. Similar tracks can feel like they've been manufactured on a sequencer by simply pressing the "ethnic house" button. Not so "Mozambique."
I have to admit to finding "Lots of Love" frustrating though. Satisfying though it is, I keep on expecting it to cut loose. It's built around a jittery beat that never really settles down, and while the repetitive vocal is used to good effect, along with the various sounds that come in and out of the mix, the build up is never really capitalized on. The bass is emphasised more a few minutes before the end, and the volume goes up a notch, but not much more.
TracklistA Mozambique
B Lots Of Love