The Tape vs. RQM are back on a new label called Mouthwatering Records with their usual contortion of electronic hip hop funk and abstract jazz-rockin’ house dub. And that’s with the remixes?

You’ll recall we featured The Tape (aka Robot Koch and one third of Jahcoozi) vs. RQM (aka Lukasz Polowczyk from Brooklyn, Barcelona resident and cohort of Stereotyp, Eva Be and, of course, Jahcoozi to name but a few) last year with their Public Transport project.

Luvely is a soulful IDM with a big drum sound, described as “Mahavishnu Orchestra of Hip Hop — from a Billy Cobham kinda angle”. Now I don’t recall Mahavishnu or Billy ever sounding hip hop (see the classic line up of Rick Laird (bass), Cobham, John McLaughlin (guitar), Jan Hammer (Moog/keyboards) and Jerry Goodman (violin) on Birds Of Fire) but ‘Luvely’ manages to twist breaks all over the shop. This is a big tune that melting the mould; these guys are ahead of the game.

Chris de Luca is just as imaginative on the remix throwing in a touch of Baile Funk (from the Daniel Haaksman Skool) with the rockin’ breaks a la Breakin’ Bread.

Fellow Mouthwaterers Filewile, who regualarly ask RQM to appear on their recordings and at their gigs, have made their remix a real family event by getting their singer Joy Frempong and bassist Mago, to re-work the whole track into a funky house and break-beat with deep and heavy dub vendor roots-conscious bongo.

Not to be outdone, Kalabrese (aka Zurich based producer and DJ, Sascha Winkler) takes it down a minimal footpath, down past Centre Le Corbusier, along the river and ending up at the market next to the organ grinder. Odd sounding but it’s another winner.

‘Luvely’ continues The Tape vs. RQM’s unique approach to mixing up the hip hop pot that is further enhanced on this 12” by the remixes by like minded space cadets.

Reviewed: The Tape vs. RQM - Luvely (Mouthwatering Records) Cat. No. MWEP006 Release date: 28th February 2008 Available on Vinyl and Digital. Artwork by Lopetz from Bureau Destruct
Tracklisting:
A1 Luvely (4:10)
A2 Luvely (Chris De Luca G-Whistle Remix) (3:49)
B1 Luvely (Filewile Version) (3:50)
B2 Luvely (Kalabrese Remix) (9:02)

Links:
www.thetape.de
www.myspace.com/thetapevsrqm
www.myspace.com/rqm1
mouthwateringrecords.com
www.myspace.com/mouthwateringrecords
www.chrisdelucavsphono.com
www.myspace.com/chrisdeluca
www.filewile.com
www.myspace.com/filewile
www.kalabrese.com
www.myspace.com/kalaspatz