SKEEWIFF: Ghetto Latin & Broken Ballroom (2013)

Here’s Skeewiff then, back once again and this time elegantly careering around European and Latin American musical history like some sort of sample-production Leslie Phillips. “Well hello! What’s your name then? Rumba? Rather! And your sister too? Samba? I say! Oh – there’s more of you – bossa, cumbia, tango and I believe I know polka and the waltz already? Ding dong! Well… what are we going to do with you all?” As if he didn’t know.

As the title indicates of course, it’s bass n breaks meets retro samples with a heavy bias towards the sounds of the central and southern new world along with those of old world Europe. Which means that vocalist MC Rayna (Italian-born, of Brazilian parents according to her soundcloud) is surely the perfect voice to grace the four vocal tracks hereon. And indeed, she demonstrates once more her equal facility with both singing (on Mentira De Amor and the mellow tango of opener Blue Crystal), rapping (the mellow rumba of Rumba Style) or switching between both – on the almost reggaeton Fritada de Cumbia. If you’d ever wondered if it were possible to add wobble to the tango without it sounding like some sort of grinding noise abortion, you now have an answer: yes you can – it’s the instro called Tango Destruccion. Fancy something a little more nu-old worlde? Morgenblatter whisks you along with a sample of the same waltz that famously opened 3rd Bass’s Cactus Album, and if it’s four to the flour electro polka you’re after – check out See Me Dance The Polka. Plenty for the ears and the dancefloor in other words and crafted with all the sophistication we’ve come to expect of Skeewiff. Blimey!
(Out 16 September on Pedigree Cuts)