What better way to start the year than with a bit of hip-hop français? Oh what, MC Solaar? NTM? Saïan Supa Crew? Er – well there are actually more than three hip-hop acts in la France and some of them are still making new music now – Pitchcaps for example. Pitchcaps? Is that an obscure spraycan reference or are this outfit really named after an extremely painful method of torture? Who can say? The real question is how dope is LH Calling, the new mini LP from this Le Havre (hence the ‘LH’ in the title) outfit? And the answer is pretty dope indeed, though when you hear that one of the trio’s members is MB regular Djar One who produced the release, you won’t be at all surprised.
Seven tracks deep (if you count the intro), this one is musically a sort of homage to the 90s work of Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs along with House Of Pain’s DJ lethal and Big Beat Records’ T-Ray. And you can definitely hear those influences throughout – the in-your-face bars and funky rock-solid beats aimed at taking the roof off – as exemplified by the current single C’est pas ce que tu crois (i.e. It’s not what you think) feat. Gérard Baste. First track proper, Gros Dégâts and the title track both make use of the sort of repeated one-note sax motif beloved of DJ Muggs, while the monkey’s favourite is the funkiest of the lot – L’Art et la Manière feat. Le Jules. Whatever way you look at it though, this one is phat from start to finish. LP player below and single video below that.
(Out now (digital)/ Vinyl drops 24 February on Beats House)