Shy FX feat. Kano, Donae’o & Roses Gabor - Raver

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  • Forget about permaretro—this is straight up nostalgia. "When me was a youth I used to blow my horn like a raver," goes the chorus, riffing on Barrington Levy's "Many Changes in Life," from 1980, and if that isn't enough, the video features cameo appearances from loads of important folks from in and around the hardcore continuum: I spotted Benga, Goldie and Wiley, and there are more. But that chorus, like the song itself, is pretty hard to resist if it speaks to any part of your history. The beat is less distinctive than it could be, but it carries things along fine—the song's the thing here more than the track. The final quarter—when the song bursts into a soca groove—is actually my favorite part; what doesn't Donae'o sound good on top of? Nice of Shy FX to put out the entire EP for free, too, and not just the radio edit. As you might hope, the remixes amplify the song's old-school quality sonically as well as lyrically. Breakage's "Pattern Moschino Remix" blends a tinny Amen iteration with oddly homey cosmic synths and a dubbed out Barrington Levy sample that evokes Kingston much more than London, while "Shy's Guinness Punch Mix" is straight up roots reggae. MJ Cole goes in that direction, too, but only for a little while; then he brings in the wobble. Eh, pass. Finally, Benny Page takes it out with a D&B version that leans harder on a couple of bass notes placed, hook-like, at the end of each couple of bars.
  • Tracklist
      01. Raver 02. Raver (Breakage Pattern Moschino Remix) 03. Raver (MJ Cole Remix) 04. Raver (Shy's Guinness Punch Mix) 05. Raver (Benny Page Remix)
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