Distinctive 2013
What’s heavy and groovy? A killer dance tune, obviously.
Debuting with an album called “Know No Boundaries” is no mean feat, but in the case of Rob Blake the bravado is well grounded. The Londoner doesn’t get in the shade of stars such as Roots Manuva who he roped in for some tasty collaborations, but this single features Alex Vargas whose guitar acrobatics take three mixes of one infectious cut into distinctly different directions.
The first combines breakneck beats with a tantalizing twang which whoops up Blake’s distorted vocals, while the question “What you’re fighting for?” leads to vertiginous rocking under the mirrorball. The second, significantly shorter shaping puts the voice and the rhythm into frontal position, as the occasional strum keeps it all away from the dub depth the track tries to fathom in a discotheque mode. Yet it’s the third one that marries the techno weight to metal riffage while losing a tad of light melody – perfect for its subject, though.
As a teaser for the album, “One Man War” can’t fail to have the listener hooked and gasping for more.
*****
