As an act, Dutty Moonshine has gone through many different
changes. I remember my first time seeing them – back when the act was a duo –
at the first ever Swingamajig festival in 2013. I was lucky enough to catch
founding member Furley’s last ever show at Boomtown 2014; and then the first
performance of the big band at Swingamajig 2015 as well. Alongside several
shows during Danny Wav’s brief stint with the act, and solo DJ sets from main
man Mike Rack as well, I think I’ve seen pretty much every incarnation of the
act. This new release – City of Sin, out on the 17th of April
– is their first on a major label, having just signed to Universal. Most
Wanted, their previous album received some serious acclaim throughout the
electro swing world, so needless to say, this album has been highly
anticipated.
Opening the record is ‘Big Band Fam’, which features the
type of colossal, heavy-bass sounds that one has come to expect from this act.
These are the type of tunes that a DJ might generally choose to end a set, therefore
demonstrating that with this release we’re getting thrown in the deep end from
the very beginning. Both MCs feature on this track, with a clear grime
influence in both of their respective flows, and musically, some of the sounds
of garage throughout as well. The energy is maintained throughout ‘Click Clack
Boom’, which begins with some almost synthwave-style sounds, before diving
immediately back into the heavy, filthy bass. This track isn’t the most
interesting in terms of independent listening, although I can tell it will be a
dancefloor killer. Still not letting up in terms of energy, ‘City of Sin’ – the
title track – brings some lightning-fast rapping from Maria Laveau, as well as
some singing in the chorus, although strangely I actually find the verses
catchier than the chorus.
At this point, the album has placed three of its heaviest
tracks right at the very start, and I’m really craving something with a bit
more emphasis on the ‘big band’ side of things; luckily, this now comes with
‘Outlaws’, a jazzier number which is much more to my liking. This track goes
through several sections, each just as catchy and enjoyable as the last, and
the big band really shine through, fusing effortlessly with the electronic
sounds. In terms of danceability, ‘Outlaws’ will definitely get people moving.
The next track, ‘Fever’, then provides a bit of respite from the chaos of the
album thus far; beginning with the sounds of gypsy jazz, which sets the tone
for the whole song, ‘Fever’ is comparatively laidback, and features a brilliant
bassline showing that sometimes less is more. Towards the end, there’s a
slightly cheesy key change, but honestly, this is part of the fun, and doesn’t
detract from the song at all.
Even more laidback is ‘Tommy & Loretta’, featuring a
wistful piano introducing a dark, partly spoken-word track, reminiscent of the
poetry performed by the likes of Kate Tempest. This track is produced alongside
Odjbox, who brings his own distinctive flavour, instantly recognisable once the
beat kicks in, and features a lovely chorus – the best demonstration of Maria
Laveau’s singing ability. ‘Fall From Grace’ begins with a baritone sax –
capable of making everything sound so much jazzier, and also reminding me a bit
of Too Many Zooz, who certainly sound like they could have had an influence on
this one. In this track we’re slowly building back to the massive basslines
found at the start of the album, although the brass sections are actually more
interesting; whilst there are some huge drops throughout, I’m much keener on
the parts that follow several bars after these drops. Following this is ‘The
Arrest’, probably one of the strongest tracks on the album. It starts off
almost cinematically, you can imagine this accompanying the score of a film,
and as the piece progresses, there is some fantastic interplay between the two
MCs. I especially like the refrain of “coming for you”, which makes me feel
like I’m listening to something from a musical – tying in with the idea of this
being a concept album.
The baritone sax returns for ‘It’s Alright’, also featuring
more of the heavy basslines, which – not being as in-your-face as the rest of
the album – actually work incredibly well here, and are the best example of
these types of basslines throughout the album. Some nice and jazzy breakdowns
in the middle do a good job of placing you into the scenario of the narrative
again. Next up is a bit of a wildcard: ‘Fiança’ is entirely based around the
Latin sounds of South America, and provides an example of what Dutty Moonshine
does best – exploring and incorporating other styles, which this track
demonstrates brilliantly. Guest vocalist Chininha provides another powerful
female voice, and throughout I feel like I’m in a carnival atmosphere, and just
want to dance. Towards the end, the samba influences only increase, and there’s
some of the more contemporary sounds of soca in the final breakdown too.
Closing the album is ‘Locked Up’, which unsurprisingly features some more
strong rave influences, although not quite as heavy as I was expecting.
Continuing on from the last track, there is actually still some samba
influence, particularly in the percussion and woodwinds, which provides some
contrast to the more industrial and glitchy sounds.
This album differs from Most Wanted in that – where
with that album, the energy increased up until the mayhem of the final,
title-track ‘Most Wanted’ – City of Sin actually seems to get slightly
more mellow as it goes on. In that sense, the pacing of this album could be
described as a little off – hitting you with everything at the start, and then
leaving the album to gradually decline in its intensity. Although that’s
perhaps an unfair criticism, as it’s not even remotely anticlimactic; in fact,
the songs get better as the album progresses. There are some real gems here,
and the likes of ‘Outlaws’, ‘Fever’, and ‘It’s Alright’ – amongst others – will
surely become well-known anthems in this scene. City of Sin will be a
welcome addition to any fan’s collection, and in terms of the act’s reputation,
continues to validate the Dutty Moonshine Big Band as one of the most
adventurous acts within the scene, and a genuine force to be reckoned with.
Pre-orders for City of Sin are available here.
