The Herbaliser - Take London

(Ninja Tune/Inertia)

It seems a bloody long time since the Herbaliser first popped up with Remedies. In fact it was ten years ago. It’s a fickle word, the music world, and so a decade on top is certainly something to notice. At a time when UK hip hop was being derided, these London lads came out with some great instrumental tracks which were largely free of what most (stupid) people dislike about non-US hip hop; non-US accents. Sure, they featured a few quality guest rappers, notably current dubbed-out poster boy Roots Manuva as well as Bahamadia, but they were one of the first big instrumental hip hop acts, even if they were dubbed breakbeat, or trip hop, or a Romanian gypsy band.

Well anyway, they’re back with Take London, and I’m happy to say they’re still going strong. It’s still got the cinematic feel, enforced by the numerous samples from cockney-gangster flicks which give the album its Take London feel. It’s kicked off with another Jean-Grae collabo (and they did, to be fair, do a great deal to get her, formerly What? What?, off the ground), not 2 weeks after I pointed out she seems to come up with more random appearances than the Virgin Mary. It’s typical Herbaliser fair; horn samples are the go and Ms Grae takes centre stage. A good few of the tunes are good ol’ funk inspired numbers with hip-swinging potential, until Gadget Funk comes in, which is essentially some wacked-out electro, sounding more like Afrika Bambaataa than even he did. But it’s good stuff, and a bit of a new path for the guys by the sounds of things. Failure’s No Option is next, where they’re sounding more like their old selves, but guest emcee Cappo doesn’t really do it for me. He’s getting a bit of attention in old England with his Midlands twang, but mehh.

Either way, Mr. Manuva is up next, and predictably, it’s a very nice track indeed. His mumbley ragga flow is perfectly complemented by the smooth-arse beat with the lovely lady’s vocal sample in the back, and the result is arguably the best tune on the album. The Man Who Knows skit is pretty amusing, as is I Know a Bloke. Geddim is all blaxploitation car-chase music, and the follow up, If You Close Your Eyes, is perhaps the strongest collaboration to date between The Herbaliser and Jean Grae. In all, I’d be surprised if old-school Herbaliser fans are disappointed; this is solid stuff, largely more of the same, and none the worse for it. But hey, if aint broke, aint no need for anybody to start fixing shit, is there?

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