Released 5th July, on Love Monk




Belgium? Belgium? No-one who’s ever made beats this funky comes from Belgium, surely?  Alas the press release confirms K’Bonus, one half of Boohgaloo Zoo with rapper U-Gene and principal beat-maker in the duo, does indeed come from this lowest and Bismarck-moustache appreciating of European countries. 

It is far from the only surprise with Boohgaloo Zoo, as with little fanfare and hype, they have served up quite possibly the party record of the year.  From beginning to end  it  is a diverse concoction of funk, hip-hop, soul and disco.  Though there are stylistic themes through, no song that follows the other is the same, and whether it’s the hip-hop soul of ‘Testify’, the nu-disco of ‘Dead Wood’ or the salsa moves of ‘Come To This’ it is a record that flows and throbs, and should appeal to any music-lover, whether you’re a dyed in the wool Doom Metaller, soul sista or a beard cultivating folkie.

Opener ‘Intro’ is reminiscent of Nightmares on Wax- the trickling keys, the wavey bass.  It takes its time, it’s not designed to welcome you with a bang; it’s an indicator that Boohgaloo Zoo is that very thing that every media outlet would have us believe is on its last legs and soon to be cast onto the 21st Century scrapheap- an album.

‘Found It’ then crashes in with the scrunchiest of beats, a scream and a dirty vocal delivery.  As the track continues,  and after he declares ‘we’re gonna let the track breathe’ this slowly morphs into a laidback Common-style saunter, before switching back again.  As with most of the album, soft keys lay the foundation throughout, and provide the bounce from which everything else stems.

This permanent state of bounce propels ‘Testify’, a chunky slice of hip-hip soul.  The deep, bowel-bothering bass and ‘liar/pants on fire’ chorus is straight from the same stable as Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Smile’, albeit wound down for the 4am post-club crowd.

‘Watch It’, like ‘Found It’, features rapper Replife who delivers a more pronounced hip-hop delivery, while the ‘aint gonna settle for less’ refrain adds a touch of aspirational r n’ b to proceedings. Instrumental ‘Come To This’ is a heady mix of Balearic and salsa- there’s deep beachy bass in there, but the xylophone and percussion give everything a South American swing.  It’s a standout track but in the party party stakes it can’t compare to ‘No Joke’, which is the stylistic sibling of ‘Tesfity’ and nothing if not a song to move your hips in a vaguely inappropriate manner to.  There’s a whole chunk of brass in there, some spare scratching and handclaps that insist you bob your head along in a way you hope is in time but in the hands of a rhythm-less ape like yours truly, something different altogether.

For good measure, ‘Dead Wood’ then breaks out the disco biscuits (don’t laugh) and things get more groove-based.  It’s Norman Jay type festival stuff; there’s the sound of someone clicking their fingers, there’s a smattering of brass; it makes you want to put a pair of luminous wayfarers, some espadrilles and do that joyful open-mouthed, elbows up dance that only those in a field can perfect.

It's not all perfect, mind.  There are a lack of really memorable vocals, and one wonders whether they are collating too many different styles to be commercially succesful as you don't get a huge sense of identity from them.  But that's squabbling really and an attempt to balance out a one-sided review as, in general, this is party music of the highest order.




7/10

Posted In Album Reviews, Jul 02 2010. Words - David