- After ascending rapidly through the ranks of UK Funky, Ill Blu have since become one of the scene's most infuriatingly tight-lipped outfits, having let loose only three releases since 2010. It's a strategy that's worked for them though; where others have faded into obscurity or else detoured into the largely bland global house music sound that currently dominates the London scene, the duo continue to fly the flag for funky-as-hardcore, turning out tracks which hark back to the genre's peak—without sounding like a shameless throwback project in the process.
The Illusions EP, for Kerri Chandler's Madtech imprint, continues in a similar vein. "Omar" is perhaps the finest, a weighty, expansive and aggressive beast which manages to strike a fine balance between impact and intricacy, offsetting its thunderous four-four kick drum with detailed snare syncopations. "Tick Tock" is a close contender though: louche house chords and a schlocky Spaghetti Western guitar riff at the opening give way to a characteristically rugged beat, overlaid with an obnoxious sliding lead line and lashings of amen choppage; a perfect storm of cheeky, sweaty, cheap dance floor thrills. "2nd Nature" sees the duo try their hand at more conventional house stylings, and the results aren't entirely convincing. Ill Blu, it seems, work best when they keep the energy levels somewhere in the upper stratosphere.
Tracklist 01. Omar
02. 2nd Nature
03. Tick Tok
04. Omar (Thefft Remix)