DJ Alex Corton – Vinyl Reviews

Good Looking Records

EZ Rollers / Madcap & Jaybee – Bikini Beach / Riverside 

2013

As our midweek arrives for the reviews, it’s a couple of big names that enter the arena. The white label series was churning out one release a month and moving toward (what we were hoping) its 100th release. It was more a case of Nigel Mansell in the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix though. Now you’ve got a reference to enjoy!

    Alas, we have these last few discs to relish, and like I say, some big hitters today.

   Back in 1994, it was Alex Banks, half of Hyper On Experience with Danny ‘Flytronix’ Demierre, and Jay Hurron, half of the JMJ & Richie duo, who got together to form EZ Rollers. We did scrape the surface with them while reviewing Droppin’ Science as they gave us the mind blowing remix of Volume 2 on DS 005 where we heard the pure indulgence of their work. Plenty of work is heading our way of course, when we reach Moving Shadow. 

   For me personally, this work today was the first piece of music I’d brought from them since 1998. Between 1994 and the work of EZ Rollers sits on the shelf in abundance. 

     On Side AA we have two artists that have gallons of their own solo work out, and definitely have become even bigger in the drum and bass world since this release. 

   Elliot ‘Madcap’ Payne has to be one of the most skilled producers and DJs on the circuit right now. We went through a fair deal of his info during Creative Wax, but reiterating how incredible his presence is, cannot be skipped. His work for Creative Wax along with his podcast show, provide us with a DJ and producer that brings such passion and enthusiasm in bringing the old school and modern times together, it’s an art form we rarely see on this level. He teams up with U.S. based artist, Jon Jaybee Deacy who has been active in the scene for about 14 years. With tracks released on V, Mars, Soul Deep and Dispatch, he has accomplished a fair deal of admiration for his skills in the studio. This was always going to be a mouthwatering collaboration. 

   Time to get things rolling, let’s spin the disc and crank up the volume. Here, therefore spilleth the words that doth flow out, while the tune playeth.

  Side A is ‘Bikini Beach’, treading effortlessly through the dense tropics, humidity off the chart and the distant sound of water flowing. All the scything of the undergrowth, the untrodden canvas of jungle floor, soon opens up into the reservoir of lucid dreams and sacred dew drops. EZ Rollers always knew how to cast the net out and recoup the golden sounds. Once you hit the baseline in ‘Bikini Beach’ there’s nothing you need to do except stomp/kick as many footprints into the sand as possible. It makes you move, it makes you gyrate and it leaves you feeling like you’ve heard something a little bit special. The extremely high quality of the tune is in itself, worthy of a gold medal. The liquid sound really shines through in an expanse of giant rays. 

   On Side AA we have everything you’d expect from these two (Madcap & Jaybee), oozing out a sharp, invigorating ingredient with ‘Riverside’ and you have to say, it’s one of the most jungle vs liquid tunes of the series. The breaks within the standard liquid beat, push the props aside and allow you to focus on the edgy, raw and sweet descending bass. Those bell loops are a magical touch too. Sometimes there are liquid sets that carry a flat and stagnant sound through them. If you ever want a tune to wake people up to how lively and fucking robust a tune could be in this ilk, this one really does provide something with a pulse and a fat throbbing vein to inject more than enough high power musical notes into your body. 

   A big, big shout to Alex and Jay, also Elliot and John. A huge plate on the label this, and one that gave the white label series a real treat. 

   This blog is for anyone who wants to read through some back catalogue reviews of Good Looking, and some photos of the 12” releases. I hope you enjoy.