THE BALLISTIC BROTHERS Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Ballistic Brothers' London Hooligan Soul, originally released in 1995 and now reissued in 2024, is a timeless masterpiece that effortlessly blends trip-hop, acid jazz, and downtempo vibes. From the smooth vocals of 'Portobello Cafe' to the funky horns of 'Soho Cab Ride,' each track delivers a unique sonic experience while maintaining a cohesive soulful atmosphere. 'I'll Fly Away' seamlessly combines breaks and killer basslines, while 'Jah Jah Call You' dives into dub territory with a steady groove. 'I Don't Know' adds a touch of strange easy listening by roughing up familiar samples, while 'Sister Song' infuses rhythmic excitement inspired by Brazilian beats. 'A Beautiful Space' oozes with downtempo funk, while 'Steppin' Into Eden' smoothly transitions into breakbeats. The old-school dub of 'Peckings' exudes joy, while 'Uschi's Lament' closes the album on a mellow, jazzy note. With its eclectic grooves and soulful funk, London Hooligan Soul is a brilliant album that captures the essence of 90s music.

Review: The Ballistic Brothers were behind a great many infusion of breakbeat, jazz and Afro house during the 1990s, smashing onto the scene with the Junior Boy's Own twinkler of an EP, 'I'll Fly Away' (the lead track on which works just as easily at drum & bass speeds as it does at tapper-out tempos) as well as the complementary debut album, London Hooligan Soul. The Eccentric Afros were an early, assistive alias, used by an intermixing but not exhaustive list of some of the same producers involved in TBB before they assumed the latter name proper: Ashley Beedle, Rocky & Diesel (X-Press 2), Uschi Classen and Dave Hill. This second edition of "lost tape" reissues rediscovers some of the trio's best and most esoteric breaks-plates, which would've been heard on heavy rotation in the amalgamate days of the 90s London clubbing scene, yet not all of which have been put out properly until now.

Review: The Ballistic Brothers are back with another reissued nine-track dose of bare but big breaks belligerents. This cult '90s supergroup emerged from the steaming manhole covers of the London hip-hop underground - as the saying goes, "if you were part of any clubbing tribe in the early/mid 90s, you will have danced to the Ballistic Brothers". Made up of Darren Rock, Darren House, Ashley Beadle, David Hill and Uschi Classen, the bulk of their fame wafted forth from a swathe of surreptitious vinyl releases that took the record-digging community by storm at the time, yet which also invited much speculation as to their original membership (the wonders of the internet weren't so readily available back then). A variegated selection of tracks culled from many a different EP, we're compelled to recall a golden time when breakbeats weren't so brash, and in fact served as rhythmic accompaniments to a set of otherwise beauteous atmospheres. Cases in point include 'Save The Children', which combine trippy pan-pipes and funky organ with a theme of charitable concern, and 'Blacker 94 EQ', which impresses us yet more with its acid jazz breakouts and electric piano solo and which makes stark use of the suspenseful string line endemic to the sound.