- See all the Ratings
- Add my Rating now
After infiltrating the eardrums of breakbeat dancefloors with their club bombs, Slyde take the leap and release their debut LP Everyone’s Entitled To Our Opinion. A confident duo, Jason Laidback and Robin 12tree present a multi level sound mixing up their influences spanning hip hop, rave, indie, electro, as well as the Finger Lickin’ breaks they’re known for.
They met when Robin co-produced Laidback’s album Frequency Delinquency. The fat and funky breaks were well enough received to win Amazon’s Electronic Album of the Year in 2002. As a producer and remixer, Robin has worked with the likes of Moloko and Shirley Bassey, while Jason got on the controls of De La Soul and Naughty by Nature. His skills on the ones and twos even saw him support our Kylie on tour. They also worked with Keith Flint of The Prodigy on Clever Brains Frying before their skill led to a deal with seminal label Finger Lickin’, home to the Plump DJs, Krafty Kuts, and Soul of Man. International success, club singles, gigs, and festivals predictably followed. Similar to the recent Atomic Hooligan project, Slyde have diversified their sound for the commercial market in a breakout move. Will it work? Let’s see.
Vibrate to This opens the album. Released ages ago, any self-respecting breaks fan has grooved to these beats many a time. Diva Lady Posh provides the vocals for this smash. Groovy. She also adds throat duties for the booty shakin’ Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The single Sex & Drugs has the very experienced and gravelly voice of Ian Drury leading us through the back alleys of dirty rock funk. You must check out the sexually charged clip (see below), for this track has made it on to late night MTV. It’s an hilarious ride with a degenerate muppet that took the wrong path.
The guitars are front and centre in the slower paced pop of You’re My Fix. It’s Katty Heath singing, not Kylie. Mmmm, did someone say radio-friendly? The breakbeats come thick and fast in the middle section of the album beginning with Highrise, previously released as a 12” single. This the highlight of the album for me. A tough, techy ride up a skyscraper before breaking out into the clouds with a uplifting deep breath. Fuck The Landlord is an angry protest. Hold It Down is an energetic call to arms. Lady Posh returns for an encore with the Indian influenced Blow That Stack.
Everyone’s Entitled To Our Opinion is a varied effort, and as a result, a bit patchy. Male vocals then female vocals, guitars then techy beats. There’s definitely some great highlights of beat bliss, it’s entirely well produced, with a sharp, modern sound. But I can’t help feel that it’s an album of disparate singles rather than a cohesive listen.
Check out the clip for Sex & Drugs...
