BRUK BEATS | Broken Beats and Treats

Following on from the recent LCSM remix EP, CoOp Presents continue with more certified bruk heat for 2021 - this one seeing the return of EVM128 and an all-new EP entitled ‘Dance Don’t Sleep’. Some sound advice.

A core-member of the Selectors Assemble crew, EVM128 is also co-label boss of the Dance Regular imprint and has had releases in the past on labels such as BBE, Studio Rockers, Local Talk, Rhythm Section, Wah Wah 45s and Tru Thoughts, amongst others.

As well as being nice behind the boards, he's an amazing Selector, playing regularly on the crew's Worldwide FM show, as well as Netil Radio monthly and past plays for Boiler Room and Dimensions Festival, with his eclectic blends of bruk, soul, jazz, house, garage, hip hop, ragga, afrobeat, UK funky and bass music.

EVM previously featured on the Selectors Assemble EPs - the track ‘Gamma Riddim’ in particular is still being rinsed in dances a few years later. His last release 'Bun Dat' appeared on the label's first compilation, ‘Plug One’, released late in 2020 and kicked off the year with a set of remixes of the same track.

‘Dance Don’t Sleep’ begins with the title track, setting off with Detroit-esque pads and JA clash samples, before a moderate-paced brukbeat kicks in accompanied by some squelchy synths and some sneaky breaks. Next is ‘Tell Me’ featuring the sweet soulful talents of Natalie May atop a percussive groove, gliding keys and bleeps. ‘UK Brukers’ follows (a play on UK Rockers), and it’s more bruk-step laced with ragga samples and a deep sub riding throughout, then into ‘Jazz Drumz’, which provides what it says on the tin - shuffling kits ride alongside piano and rhodes, all with EVM’s unique flavour. We close out with ‘Desert Island Bruk’; an off-kilter riddim with a slight UK Funky feel, completing a very dope 5-tracks that should ensure that you’re dancing, not sleeping.

As with the previous CoOp Presents release, this digital EP is again accompanied by some mind-blowing artwork by Mo Fingaz & Bee Graphics for Blood, presenting another genius part of the new CoOp universe.

With monthly releases stacked up for the rest of 2021, expect plenty more goodness to come from the CoOp Presents label imminently. Watch we work.

EVM128 - UK Brukers

PRE-ORDER: https://bfan.link/masters-at-work-harvey-sutherland

At the vanguard of Melbourne's bustling underground music scene you’ll find Surprise Chef. A band very much on the rise, who with two exceptional albums under their belts, are picking up a rapidly swelling fanbase across the world. Working out of the College of Knowledge stable (their home / studio / record label namesake), the band’s take on instrumental cinematic soul and funk has connected with listeners across multiple scenes and genres. Their intoxicatingly laidback sound, which pairs expertly crafted hooks with a seriously funky, watertight rhythm section, has earned them a wide appeal and made their tracks ripe for interpretation.

When floating ideas for potential remixers, two names came to the fore, Masters At Work and Harvey Sutherland. MAW have a long history with Mr Bongo having remixed the Brit-funk classic ‘Dancing In Outer Space’ by Atmosfear for the label in 1997, and releasing the original track, ‘Brazilian Beat’ in 2000. With their studio collaboration now back in full swing, it was the perfect time to inject the MAW magic back into the label.

They picked ‘Crayfish Caper’ from the band’s first album ‘All News Is Good News’ as their choice of track to remix. The ’Nuyorican Broken Remix' sees MAW stepping into their Nuyorican Soul guise. A Latin shuffle meets an afro-beat rhythm and some very chunky broken beats, which all underpins an infectious melody constructed around the original track’s bassline. They pair this with horns and synths that add a flourish and reveal new layers as the track develops. It’s a sound that is uniquely Nuyorican Soul and a welcome return for fans of this aspect of their phenomenal output.

A Pomba Girou (Szajna Remix) [feat. Heidi Vogel]

Zero dB