Beatz & Bobz 3 - Mixed by Tayo

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  • After receiving critical acclaim for Will White’s Beats & Bobz mix CD, Functional Breaks has enlisted the help of Mob Records label manager Tayo to compile and mix volume 3 in the series. While Will White chose to mix a selection of uplifting breaks and party beats for his mix, the Dread At The Controls has chosen a selection of ragga infused breaks, dancehall beats an harder tear out sounds for Beats & Bobz. In typical Tayo style he drops his Dread At The Controls sample before Smith & Mighty kick off the proceedings with Down In Rwanda which talks about the plight of the Rwandan people. Deep reggae bass, dancehall breaks and plenty of dub effects give the CD a smoky, chilled out vibe. Rob Smith’s remix of No Burial by Mykal Rose continues this flavour – again it’s more dubby breaks that confronts social and political concerns. The nu-skool breaks enter in when Tayo meets Precision Cuts Downtown introduce their Breakbeat Girl which features on the albums 12” sampler. Mob signings Care In The Community provide a new tune for Functional Breaks - Badness Can’t Work. A big squelchy electro bassline, heavy breaks and ragga vocal samples create a nice lead up to another new Tayo tune, this time done with Acid Rockers. Shorty The Pimp, an upcoming release on Mob, features deep dubby bass, steel drum effects and a monotonic ragga vocal sample that somehow grabs you by the ears and makes you listen. Wicked half tempo breakdown in the middle which highlights the fat elements in the tune – namely the vocals and bass. Uplink by Breakneck brings out the harder sounds of breaks utilising a rumbling bassline, frantic hi-hats, crisp snares and syncopated pads. Tayo then drops the acapella of FreQ Nasty and Rodney P’s Come Let Me Know on top for good measure – P’s definitely one UK personality whose trademark ruud bwoy slang can’t be mistaken. The mix progresses into a tear-out break medley starting with Backdraft’s rave-influenced Labrat appearing here in VIP remix form. High pitched vocal samples sidle alongside droning didgeridoo bass and a reggae style synth lick. One of my faves, Ed209 delivers the grime with Infectious on his own Wireframe label. The tune features a synth hook that sounds like someone blowing their musical nose, deep rumbling bass and heavy rolling breaks with cleverly placed drum fills. Finally Uncouth Youth turn out the dark and menacing Malaga Airport with an arpeggio style synth melody that feels like it’s been lifted from a sci-fi adventure flick, crisp drum breaks and a hard as fuck bassline. To finish up the album, Tayo brings out another new tune again teaming up with Acid Rockers for Bloodline dub. It’s more of those ragga infused breaks that he visited at the beginning, yet on a much harder and dirtier tip before finally closing off the album with Ben & Lex’s mix of Jean Jacques Smoothie’s Keep It Movin’ featuring the vocals of MC Chickaboo. Tayo’s definitely delivered here, he’s stuck to a theme and produced one of the best ragga-infused breaks mixes I have ever heard. Basslines chop and change, beats break, ragga men chant and the mix progresses nicely to a climax before ending on a laidback note.
RA