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Amongst one of the many awaiting a Mark B & Blade album since their first double 12" together on Jazz Fudge I stepped to this album with trpidation. Expectation is too high. Fortunately it lives up to expectations. The previews in the forms of the '...signs' & 'split personalities' 12s give you a good idea of where this albums' at. Mark's been raiding beats like no-one else and has come out from his previous appearance as a poor Vadim to devlop his own production styles. Blade on the other hand is Blade, same old MC we've been hearing for years. Never one to break lyrical boundaries the topics covered on this album include such classics as UK hiphop is slept on, UK hiphop doesn't get the breaks owed, the radio doesn't play us etc etc. you get the picture? It works though. Given a new lease of life over Mark's block-party beats it all gels well. Just over 45 minutes, but vinyl junkies will already have 3 of the tracks and more singles are to be released. The tracks we haven't heard before bring in some nice guests - Chester P, Rodney P, Skinnyman, Lewis Parker and um, Westwood! all complimented by solid scratching performances from current and ex-Perverts Plus One, Primecuts & Mr. Thing. This is one of the years highest profile releases but also turns out to be one of the essentials. Mention must of course be made that this is released through a Virgin Records offshoot. There's going to be many crap records released on majors as they slowly begin picking at the wack end of the UK hiphop barrel, that Source had the view to sign up Mark B shows that someone knows what their doing so perhaps there's a major label future for this scene without diluting it to a flavour that we don't recognise. Makes you appreciate that they're working their ass off while we party off ours. Check the tour info at their website and give support.
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Mark B & Blade The Unknown
LP