Mr Scruff AKA Andy Carthy is a man of many guises: genre-hopping DJ and producer, founder of the Mancunian club night Keep it Unreal, tea aficionado and entrepreneur, cartoonist… and possible fish fetishist. The latest instance of his affinity for all things aquatic is the founding of the record company Ninja Tuna, a collaboration between Scruff and his label of 10 years, Ninja Tunes. Fittingly, the label’s first full-length release shares the same name, although thankfully that’s where the piscatorial puns end.

While the opening track Test The Sound – a montage of vocal samples layered over skipping breakbeats – exhibits the trip hop aspect of Carthy’s schizophrenic musical persona, it’s the second cut Music Takes Me Up which should be viewed as the true departure point of the album. Alice Russell lends her dulcet tones to a jazzy, summer-tinged number that centres around a funky bassline and an infectious piano hook. Hairy Bumpercress follows a similar vein, albeit without the vocals and overt mainstream appeal of Music Takes Me Up.

Quantic provides some tasty Latin-flavoured keys to Donkey Ride, an immaculately structured track which renders the listener incapable of not nodding their heads or swaying their hips to the music. Pete Simpson’s soulful lyrics on penultimate track This Way are doubtlessly in reference to Carthy’s maverick musical ethos, and manage to meld beautifully with the instrumentation. Conversely, the collaboration with British hip hop legend Roots Manuva, Nice Up The Function, disappoints with its uninspiring production and banal lyrics.

Despite plateauing halfway through, the slew of exceptional tracks towards the end of the LP earn Ninja Tuna its place alongside Keep It Unreal as one of Scruff’s best. Get On Down brings the funk back in a big way, and Kalimba shifts things up a gear with a few clever key changes and some killer strings. The horns in the more sedate final track, Stockport Carnival, reprise the Latin theme from earlier in the album, making it a fitting finisher.

Ultimately, the appeal of Ninja Tuna lies in its accessibility. Scruff manages to indulge his eclectic tastes without his music ever encroaching into esotericism. The diverse nature of the album ensures that there’s something on here for everyone. While some tracks may leave certain listeners cold (as was the case for me with Bang The Floor), chances are they’ll be adored by others. As the saying goes, one man’s crap is another man’s caviar. And my apologies for that final fish reference…