Wbeeza - New Skank EP

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  • Guy McCreery's Third Ear Recordings have long been forging the link between London and Detroit, with singles from Mike Clark and Delano Smith and their ongoing Detroit Beatdown series becoming essential purchases for discerning fans of the 313. It wasn't until the middle of last year that the label had their own response to fire back over the Atlantic, which came in the form of Wbeeza's Heavystuff EP. And what a response it was, traversing from stoned beatdown-inspired grooves to full-on carnival house with a slick production ethic that belied the age of the 23-year old South Londoner. New Skank opens up in a much tougher fashion with "War Fear," a dark and throbbing house bomb which has obviously been geared to play very loud indeed. Clear hi-hats dance over an insistent bassline and vocal sample about "psychological warfare," but it's the immersive sounds that are buried low in the mix that take the track to a different level. "Roks Dogg" sees Wbeeza in a jazzier mood, using a a see-sawing synth and riding hats to create a seriously wonky groove that cries out for a place on your turntable at wrong o'clock in the morning. B-side opener "He So Crazy" is more of a straightforward house track that's built around some bouncy looped keys and a female spoken word, but the surprise hit of the EP may well be "Hurricane," a smooth vocal deep house number that wouldn't have sounded that out of place if it had come out on Kompakt Pop. Brown's lush drifting pads and intertwining synths might sound more than a little European, but the bassline and beat programming obviously nod to Detroit. He might not be from that particular city, but to dismiss his productions just for that reason would definitely be a big mistake.
  • Tracklist
      A1 War Fear A2 Roks Dogg B1 He So Crazy B2 Hurricane feat. Tina Penni Anne
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