Scuba and Roska have joined forces as Spectr and Bakongo to release a collaboration which has been over a decade in the making. Connecting in the late 2000s, Paul Rose first recruited Wayne Goodlitt to remix Untold’s “Just For You” in 2009 — the rest is history. Before this collaboration, there were only two Spectr releases in existence; one which kicked off the iconic Hotflush label, and another on Roska’s imprint in 2011. Gravitating back to the heavily UK-influenced sounds that we all know and love, this release is certainly one to get excited about.
A short but sweet release at two tracks long, things are kicked off with “Close Call”. A moody, heavily percussive drum workout laced with ground-shaking bass and curious melodies, it’s a slow jam with an abundance of funk. Intricate lines and tribal elements keep things fresh throughout whilst the bassline chugs along. “Off Guard” steps things up a notch — the result being a sharp, crunchy face-melter. It’s intensely percussive, wickedly exuberant, and undeniably catchy. A reverberant bassline and the chiming of cow bells are a match made in heaven, inflating the track with energy from start to finish. A crossover that was most definitely worth the wait, we can only home there’s more in store where this came from.
Close Call can be streamed and purchased via Bandcamp.
