SHNIECE Vinyl & CDs

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks ***


Disco-infused reggae and soulful grooves are on the agenda as Prince Fatty takes to the controls with regular vocal colllaborators Shniece and Horseman along for the ride too. For the Disco Deception album, he raids the reinvents various classics in the image of his own signature low-end energy and impeccable production, giving us original and dub mixes to choose from in several cases. His version of Krfatwerk's 'The Model', which features both Shniece and Horseman, was an underground smash when it emerged a couple of years back and sounds as vital as ever. 'Fever', made famous by Peggy Lee as far as 1958, gets some soul-stirring vocals from Shniece, and Tom Browne's 'Funkin' For Jamaica (NY)' is a glory of funky basslines to shimmering horns. A magnetic atmosphere that keeps listeners engaged from start to finish, all with character to spare.

Review: Disco-infused reggae and soulful grooves are on the agenda as Prince Fatty takes to the controls with regular vocal colllaborators Shniece and Horseman along for the ride too. For the Disco Deception album, he raids the reinvents various classics in the image of his own signature low-end energy and impeccable production, giving us original and dub mixes to choose from in several cases. His version of Krfatwerk's 'The Model', which features both Shniece and Horseman, was an underground smash when it emerged a couple of years back and sounds as vital as ever. 'Fever', made famous by Peggy Lee as far as 1958, gets some soul-stirring vocals from Shniece, and Tom Browne's 'Funkin' For Jamaica (NY)' is a glory of funky basslines to shimmering horns. A magnetic atmosphere that keeps listeners engaged from start to finish, all with character to spare.

Review: Prince Fatty's 'Mercedes Benz' with Shniece and Horseman is a rub-a-dub version of a 1970s hit from Janis Joplin that now gets a very special pressing courtesy of Lovedub Limited. The A-side kicks off with the spine-tingling and epic original vocal before disappearing into a world of reverb. At that point the dubby low end arrives and brings a different vibe to the stunning vocals but one that really makes a mark next to new bars from Horseman, police sirens and funky riffs. It's a tough sound system groove that is backed with a fine version and has been a firm fixture of Prince Fatty's record box for a while now.

Review: Soul Sugar's signature, fruitful blend of reggae and soul once more oozes forth with 'Top Of My List'. Featuring the vocals of Shniece McMenamin, the track is a liquefyingly dreamy song, unhesitatingly letting in the sunny rays of rocksteady through the Venetians. But in contrast to the mood, it also tells the dubious story of our protagonist placing their self-respect and self-love in the hands of a former lover, with social-fabric-tearing consequences, a funk from which McMenamin sings to help pick up the pieces. The dub version helps; it's a refractive and soft version, emphasising more atmosphere than hardness or forward propulsion.