(RID026-Catskills Records/Inertia)

A: Reprise
B: Bang! (Turn it out) feat. TC IZ

New to the Catskills Records label, Black Grass come good with two distinctive and genuinely eclectic tracks, merging elements of hip-hop, garage and breaks, with jazz influences and tribal overtones.

The horns give Reprise a jazzy feel, while the bassline and drum pattern giving it a UK garage sound, topped off with tribal vocal chants throughout. The combination of these elements doesn’t really sound like it should work, but the contrasting sounds compliment each other nicely. The sound of Bang! (Turn it out) is distinctly more hip-hop, thanks mainly to the inclusion of TC IZ (son of Afrika Bambaataa) on MC duties. It has a really funky bounce to it, and to give you an indication of its sound, has been championed by the likes of Mr Scruff, Hint and Andy Smith.

This diverse sound seems to be a signature of Catskills, with their latest album release courtesy of Pepe Deluxe (I strongly suggest you check it out!) also showcasing an effective mesh of somewhat dissimilar genres. Nice stuff.