Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

Laroca are Rob Pollard & Olly Wakeford and are known for their cinematic, funky, chilled tunes with influences from around the world that dominated their second album Valley Of The Bears that came out earlier this year.

This EP features the track ‘Unit 125’, you may recall the original version is a bit of a throw-back to Ninja Tunes/Breakin’ Bread turntablism meets live instrumentation; a track that definitely needs those new Dr. Dre headphones to do the bass justice.

And whilst on bass beats, Bangatang (a new name to us) gets deep with some dubsteppin’ funkin’ chill that really mixes up the choppy guitar, Balearic piano and takes the bass darker and deeper. To up the tempo, Harvey K’Tel (did you see what he did there) goes sort of funky house with his mix and brings the funky horn and to the jazz flute frontline of the bounding train trip.

To side track for a moment, a certain mate of mine keeps asking me when are we going to hear more from Aaron Jerone? But since I saw him last at the Big Chill House supporting Kathrin DeBoer (see HERE and by coincidence Ricky Fabulous from Belleruche plays guitar on the Valley Of The Bears album) after the Stark remix and his amazing debut album Time to Rearrange (that first introduced us to Bonobo’s current vocalist, Andreya ‘The Keeper’ Triana), not heard a preverbal dicky bird until now. But this guy will never be off form and his ‘126 remix’ is pure class (also keep a look out for the slower ‘100 Remix’ is jazz-funk out dub that’s a tad Prarish/Moodymann in vibe but it’s cut short but needs an extension). So the 126 is the one I’ll be pushing this festive season with the non-stop beat that’s part Berlin and part Bombay.

There’s a bonus mix of suitably recessionary entitled ‘Brassic’ by Prariah Network that’s heavily on the tango-house beat a la Gotan Project that’s just the right stuff to persuade any doubters that global beats/jazz/soul is strong as ever in a house set (although not confined to house by any means).

You may recall that Just Music is the label that brought you Leo Abrahams The Grape & The Grain at the start of the year and before that Future Loop Foundation and Digitonal but this EP is the way to get ready for Christmas! Aaron Jerome at 100 or 126 is so cool - essential.

Reviewed: Laroca - Unit 125 EP (Just Music) Cat. No. TAOS028 Release date: 7th December 2009
Tracklisting:
1. Unit 125 (Aaron Jerome 126 Remix) (5:14)
2. Unit 125 (Bangatang Remix) (5:38)
3. Unit 125 (Harvey K’Tel Mix) (5:52)
4. Brassic (Pariah Network Mix) (5:03)

Links:
www.myspace.com/larocauk
www.last.fm/music/Laroca
www.justmusic.co.uk
www.myspace.com/aaronjerome
www.leoabrahams.com
www.myspace.com/leoabrahams