Hint: At the Dance

Since he burst on the scene in 2002, Jonathan James (I’ll give you a Hint about what his stage name is) has pumped out more EPs than most knob-twiddling producers crap out singles. And yet, the child-like wonder of his early work has not seen the lustre dull in the slightest over time. At The Dance sparkles with all the get-up funk and warped basslines hip-hop and downtempo can handle without becoming speed garage. “I, Silverfish” is glorious with a tubular dub-step beat, thin percussion (that adds to the track’s hollow feel), and more cowbell, all there supporting the socio-political rhymes of Zebra Traffic emcee Rup. The title track clearly shows why it’s the title track with some proto-acid kick-my-spine breaks that would sound right at home on a Luke Vibert record. Expect to hear this one a lot if you visit Brighton in the next year or so.