(Big Toes Hi Fi 7″)
Originating in Edingburgh, Scotland, Big Toe’s Hi Fi (like their fellow Scots Mungo’s Hi Fi) have expanded from a sound system reveling in massive bass bins to a full on record label releasing some serious 7″ vinyl.
For their latest release, the crew looked beyond the minor key 80s revival sounds that seem to be dominating many European releases, and instead took inspiration from classic UK ‘ragga’ riddims that were released in the early to mid 90s on labels like Sinbad and Fashion.What this translates to is a pretty fast riddim with infectious drum patterns, a great fuzzed out keyboard lick and a rolling bass line.
On Side A, Sweden’s rising star, Diegojah comes with his fast chat ode to the dance, ‘Step Inna Di Dance’. Like most of Diegojah’s tunes, this one seemingly bursts with his clear-cut love for the classic dancehall of the 80s and 90s. And yet, the tune never sinks into that sludgy nostalgia mode of singers and DJs trying so hard to sound authentically ‘vintage’ and ‘Jamaican’ that they end up making a mockery of the whole endeavor. That is because Diegojah’s tune just speaks of enthusiasm and a love for the music and the simple pleasure of riding a riddim with everything you got, and that marks him clearly as a DJ who is having as good a time making the tune as you should have listening to it.
The veteran Gosple Fish takes the honors on the flip side dishing out a tune that shows that he has not lost a step since his 90s heyday. Ingeniously, Gosple flips ‘Lord Of The Ring’ in pure backway talk / reverse chat style with clear enunciation and a wicked punch of the lyrical pattern. Wickedness indeed.
Tuff tunes on both sides and a killer Silk Screened sleeve printed and designed by Big Toe’s Papa Luca. Big Things from the Big Toe’s Family!
More info:
Diegojah / Gosple Fish – Step Inna Di Dance / Lord of the Ring on Deadly Dragon
Scratch Famous, Deadly Dragon Sound, New York City
(www.deadlydragonsound.com)
