Attack Released, a French production duo comprised of Nino Selecta (Fogata Sounds & Large Up Radio) and Waks (Barrington Levy’s current tour engineer), combine their skills and technical knowledge to craft a tough-yet-bubbling riddim for their second release: World Leaders.
A four-track EP complete with both dub and riddim, plus on-point vocals from UK’s Murray Man and France’s Dapatch Selecta, this is a fine showing all around: the attack has definitely been released!
The title track, which later receives the dub treatment, is a condemnation of the current world-wide suffering afflicting the less fortunate. Murray Man’s slightly gritty delivery eschews metaphor for strictly conscious commentary, demanding that governments ‘make more houses for the homeless, and make more job and put up them pay check,’ and ‘if we make more crops me say feed the farmer man, and stop all the world from starvation,’ to launch each verse. The chorus asks world leaders not just to ‘hear my cry,’ but more crucially to ‘try and be poor’ to better understand the impact of their decisions. If only reggae music resonated in the hallowed halls of governance the same way it does in the dusty streets and decaying cities that poor socioeconomic policies have cultivated…
Lyrically lighter, “Talk About Sound” finds Dapatch Selecta boasting ‘original cause we a run tings’ before counting out the important elements for a proper sound: good selection, massive and crew, and a wicked MC. The second verse switches to the inclusive nature of a reggae dance, where skin color, place of origin, and age simply don’t matter. Add in a catchy chorus, an in the pocket delivery, and the final words ‘mic champion’ are far from inappropriate.
The aforementioned dub lets the drums and bass ride strong, while Murray Man’s vocals and the melody lines find themselves re-arranged, delayed, and echoed in all the right ways. At times heady and swirling, this is still a stomper rather than a decayed dismantling. The riddim then is all about that bass, yet the more intricate elements are also able to shine through: subtle percussion, layered synths, and the like. Ready for any MC who is up to the task of delivering on a booming and bouncing cut, this rounds out a solid four-track that’s been prepped to nice up and educate the dance.
More info:
High-quality digital via Demolisha
Attack Released on Facebook
The Groove Thief
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