Milez Benjiman’s ‘All The People’ squelches along jovially under 100 beats per minute with a part-spoken, part-sung vocal in the style of Prince or Plantlife’s Jack Splash. An instrumental version caters for folks like me who enjoy the wonky beats, with my senses stirred the most in the final two minutes as added electronics appear.

The tempo increases in Ohmega Watts’ ‘The Platypus Strut’ which blossoms pleasingly from the hand drummed percussive beginnings, to when horns take over and the smart addition of a flute adds further weight. Made specifically for this release the “After School” edit should prove popular with fans of Quantic or other Afrobeat infusers, Nomo and serves as a lovely warm up to the full length forthcoming follow up to his acclaimed debut album The Find.

Lastly, comes a lesson in beat making from one of my favourite gents within the beat scene. With his rework of Radio Citizen’s ‘The Hop’, Hudson Mohawke continues to make people take notice with his expert production and live sets. Under the Heralds of Change moniker, with Mike Slott, a fine catalogue of off centre soul has emerged through the EPs released by Dublin shop and label, All City. Back to back inclusion of his solo work on the first two Choices EPs preludes his debut album due to drop on Ubiquity.

Returning to ‘The Hop’, Baika’s “hollas” are maximised with Hudson Mohawke replacing the guitar riff with his trademark videogame effects, these futuristic whines glittering like harp strings over the beats that teeter and slide. Brilliantly constructed, the song mesmerises me with its sounds and use of silence. The original version of ‘The Hop’ is a quality track in its own right from an excellent album, Berlin Serengeti (also on Ubiquity), further enhancing the strength of this remix. Digital buyers get an added bonus with an instrumental of Hudson Mo’s masterpiece. Released on vinyl and in digital formats, Choices EP Vol.2 is out now.

Links:
Ubiquity
Choices EP Vol.1
Milez Benjiman
Ohmega Watts
Hudson Mohawke
Heralds of Change
Radio Citizen’s Berlin Serengeti