Ex-Centric Sound System – West Nile Funk (Worldisk)
Reviewed by Sadie O., 11/1/05
Terrific blend of African traditional sounds with electronica and killer bass and the funkiest of beats. The only down side to this record is it’s way too bloody short – it should go on for at least another half hour, if you ask me. If you don’t dig it, yo booty is moribund.
No FCC, unless you know something in Bantu that I don’t know. Try 7 first, then 2 through 5. 6 and the later tracks are more trance-y and experimental-ish, which will please many.
1. 32 seconds of buzzing and burbling.
2. ***spoken intro, great uptempo bump w/ what sounds like toy flutes.
3. **traditional African call and response and clapping. Band comes in 1/3 of the way along, midtempo, very funky.
4. **uptempo thumb piano and vocals. Makes for a very pretty sound when the band joins in.
5. **ethereal flute-ish sounds and trap drums, soon joined by bass and funky handdrums, then more thumb piano and vocals.
6. starts with far-away female chanting, then down-beat, laid-back funky groove, rather trance-y and dreamy. Fun rubber-band bass.
7. ***strange woodwind of some sort, far away ululations, crazy midtempo bump, highly danceable.
8. solo vocal intro, joined by chorus, hand percussion and thumb piano, then laid-back bass and drum. More Afro and less funk than most.
9. starts with flutes and odd noises, then into fast groove that builds. Fast, funky makossa. Fades out midway into far-off chanting, then back to makossa.
10. female vocal and slow hand drum. Fast rhythm builds between hand drum beats, male chorus. Fades in and out a bit. There’s a bit of “elevator” mixed in with all the African masks dancing around.