Various Artists - Dis Boy

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  • Cooly G has left quite a trail in a short time. She hit the ground running mid-2009 with "Love Dub" on Hyperdub—an instant ear-grabber, especially for fans of the aquatic mid-'90s jungle that served as a clear muse. Like a lot of producers lately, male and female alike, she sings (nicely, with a touch of melancholy, but more sweet than not) and on "Dis Boy," she pipes in a spare lyric: "I know dis boy from 'round the way," sounding most effective in ghostly isolation—it makes things nicely ambiguous. In Scratcha DVA's remix, the tension plays out so that the track feels like a song even though it isn't structured much like one at all. It calls up the Specials and Tricky as much as it does Cooly G's Hyperdub-leaning peers. DVA's two tracks are peppier, and make for a fetching contrast. L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok's remix of "Jelly Roll" is built on samples of running water, papery hand drums and breaking glass, beyond (obviously) the bass drops and layered percussion. It's a vivid mix of wet and dry (literally, in a way), and grows more bass-intensive as it goes, but not more show-offy. "32DA4" is the wobbler; it could have been titled "Stuck Inside of Centipede with the Space Invaders Blues Again."
  • Tracklist
      A Cooly G - Dis Boy (DVA's Hi Emotions Remix) B1 Scratcha DVA - Jelly Roll (L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok Mix) B2 Scratcha DVA - 32DA4
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