Robert Hood / ‘Alpha’ (James Ruskin Remix)
Vinyl / Digital
M Plant / Released February 14th 2011
Detroit legend Robert Hood doesn’t sound like a guy who apparently now spends most of his days removed from what the majority of people would consider the traditional party scene. Whether DJing or behind a mixing desk, its a raw, stripped, spanking but somehow infectiously funky style that’s everything you’d want to describe as 21st Century soul music. Add James Ruskin, and things begin to look even redder on the proverbial backside.
Taken from last year’s Omega Man inspired album, the result of this collaboration shouldn’t be surprising to fans of either producer or remixer. The A retains the stripped, stark and industrial warehouse vibe of its source material, while removing some of the weight to allow for slightly more energy to escape. Throw in some flash-pan cymbals and there’s a British sentiment abound that makes it easy to recognise the man responsible for reworking it.
The flip comes in the form of a new track from the Underground Resistance originator, The Family. Taking off on a groove that, from the outset, is only ever going to make necks ache, the sucker punch kick with which it’s backed, snapping snares that punctuate and distorted melody carried throughout make for a driving seven minutes, in the purest sense. Non-stop, all night are words that come to mind. It’s not for the faint hearted, but anyone remotely into the throb and hum that’s so typical of this pioneer will no doubt be left asking “when’s he playing next.”
