First Rate Walky Talkyz LP
Stepping from the DJ battles to the live circuit to making an album doesn’t always guarantee a good result. But in the case of ex-Scratch Pervert and human touring machine First Rate it actually seems to have been quite a beneficial road to take.
‘Walkie Talkies’ is First Rate’s debut album, some two and a half years in the making. Having honed his deck skills on the battle and club circuit for years, he then spent another few years touring and working in the studio with various live bands including Vadim’s Russian Percussion, Morcheeba, US3, Blade and others, covering genres from hip hop to breakbeat and playing to huge audiences, before getting this album out on Scenario. A real work of love and patience, this album is surprisingly refreshing in parts. Hoping between styles and influences, from dubby skits to jazzy compositions via ambient soundscapes and head nodding beats, the production work is above solid. And First Rate isn’t the kind of DJ to just plaster scratches all over his tracks either, instead letting them fill appropriate spots in the songs with the exception of ‘The Cuts’, where he just lets loose for a few minutes.
Lyrics wise this is a typically British affair with a hefty list of UK heavy hitters stepping up, and US group The Procussions dropping in as well. These heavy hitters include Phi Li Cypher who drop lyrics on one of the best tracks on the album, ‘New Rulesz’, Blade who offers possibly the funniest rap I’ve heard in ages with ‘Hamburger’ and Skinny Man who drops in for a ‘Barfight’ over a wicked beat and piano loop. Elsewhere we get Red Eye, Numbskullz and Killa Kela, who offers up a very tasty beatbox and production combination with an ambient feel to it that’s quite irresistible.
Producer albums with long featuring lists aren’t always the best things, more often then not eclipsing both the production and lyrics by trying too hard to please too many people. In this case though, it works very well, as First Rate’s production leaves room for the lyricists to breathe and in turn the lyricists don’t overpower the production, leaving you with the distinct feel that this is indeed a labour of love and shows that he hasn’t just whipped out the chequebook to get so and so on there. Instead you can see that all the people wanted to be on there for the music.
As the quality of full length releases from the UK increases year on year, this is another album to file under quality work.
Another album to file under quality work.
- Kper
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