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Top notch. This is the second release from new Brighton hiphop label - Zebra Traffic. You've probably all heard about this 12 by now - yup its 'that' film reference track from one half of Phi Life Cyphers' rhyme duo. Lets quickly break it down as its sure to be heard in a club or radioshow near you soon. The a-side 'Moviedrome' is a definite club rocker - the sorta track that gets you ear to ear smiling when you least expect it. The beat comes courtesy of Nappa and gives flex with crisp snares tightly wound over intermittent bass and organ stabs. Its class, simple and deadly for neck muscles. Mr Thing wrecks the super tight intro/outro/chorus cuts. However, all these elements come secondary cos the main thing which grabs your attention is Life's Mc skills. I dont have a clue how many film references he fits in but its basically a cinema version of Koaste's 'Last Man Standing' - dropping subtle film titles into the blend at blinding speed. For example " Life shows his skills at handling the tongue twisters and we all know the style of his flow - yup it moves FAST! This speed would probably be my only crit of the whole track - at times it feels like the words are stumbling out rather than being ennounciated seperately. However, this is mad picky cos this is basically just a good fun party track. It should make clubheads happy for a banger and give the statistical anoraks some film refs to count on a Sunday afternoon. The flip 'Slaves Revenge' see's Nappa slow the beat and veer the vibe towards haunting and thoughtful. This is a circumspect simple track with slow plodding bass sharing main duties with a looped wailing female vocal. Mr Things doublejointed hands provide a chorus by choppin up various samples. Life comes with a more relaxed flow but doesnt skimp on the skills. Here Life takes on the role of a slave - dropping a heavy verse about the emotions which stem from gettin beat into oppression. Its a good examination in roleplay and he hits with nice wordplay. This track has a totally different vibe to the a-side and its the diverse total package which bodes well for Life's solo LP (set to drop this summer). Overall - a quality package. One of the best 12's to hit the shelves in 2002. Highlighting the progressive nature of uk hiphop. Its good to see a crew/label hitting the public with tracks that arent just cliched bling/street/thug tales or moans against haters n' label oppression. If you want to cop a copy (which you should) then the new Zebra Traffic website has some mailorder action going on. Wicked. - Smiffy | profile
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