- Yemi "Blacksmif" Olagbaiye's debut EP racked up plaudits, from Mary Ann Hobbs to Gilles Peterson, by offering a twist on the post-Burial dubstep sound that just barely kept it on the dance floor, folding in jazzy percussion, drum & bass tropes and glittering synth melodies. It's all that and more on "How the Fly Saved the River"; with wobbly, Bashmore-style bass as its bedrock, Olagbaiye constructs a soulful bass-cum-house epic using a simple, three-note organ refrain, erratic percussion and a vocal sample that swoops in and out.
It may not be on purpose, but with "Kang's Odyssey" Blacksmif forges a bass music version of Pepe Bradock's "Burning." Opening up with an attack of live congas (that's the percussion, not the eel), he smothers the track with wave after wave of rolling, jacuzzi-warm pads and a languid garage riddim. It's incredibly emotive stuff. Lorca's reworking of "How the Fly Saved the River" splices in frantic synth stabs, a cascading bassline and whipcracking toms. While nowhere near as intriguing as the original, with the dance floor in mind, it's expertly-paced stuff.
Tracklist A How The Fly Saved The River
B1 Kangs Odyssey
B2 How The Fly Saved The River (Lorca remix)