Before I Die Vinyl & CDs

Review: First released in 1983, Khartomb's 'Swahili Lullaby' first surfaced on the underground punk and reggae label Whaam! before fading back again into obscurity. In fact their only release, originally a 7", it came backed by the 12/8 wonderwork 'Teekon Warriors' on the B; both tracks established their sound as straddling both a restlessness and a laconism, channelling influences from the Slits to the Raincoats. Legend speaks of an original Peel Session and support from Melody Maker - the holy one-track difecta for breaking artists back then - yet this initial support sadly, madly waned. Now, however, the release comes miraculously back to the fore, rendered concscious again by way of a new-to-vinyl track - 'Daisy High' - as well as two versions of the A1 by Synkro and Talking Drums. 'Daisy High' is a lissome one, its layered contraltos overdubbed to perfection against endless Balearic guitar-swirls amid an overarching 'bossa feel' (in Peel's words). Synkro's dub could just as easily have come from '83 as it did from '24, swelling away into a sweet kickless reverie that happily, barely resembles the original; Talking Drums' version is more loyal to the genesis, yet amps up the dub pressure.