ALBUM REVIEW


FLORE ‘RAW’ (Botchit & Scarper)


Having blazed an early trail through nu- school breaks in the late ‘90s mashing up warped bass, sci-fi samples and hip- hop beats, Botchit and Scarper drop another era-capturing album from French producer Flore. True to its name, this is the sound of rough-edged urban dance music recycling the remains of breakbeat and electro into something familiar yet fresh, all seasoned by the addition of tropical riddims and a host of guest vocalists including UK hip-hop legend Rodney P, Yo! Majesty’s Shunda K, Batty Bass’ MC Chicaboo and


Brazilian funk MC Joyce Muniz. ‘The Test’ is heavy bashment pressure that namechecks Michael Moore, ‘Pum Pum Gal’ adds an ounce of soca bounce, as does a cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’ which re-imagines the main riff as mid-range bass, and title track ‘Raw’ sounds like something from Man Recordings. Like the best current bass music it’s a mongrel of styles, but by resisting the urge to slavishly follow the route of either dubstep or future garage, Flore creates her own distinctive opus.


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