Hi all. This is a review of Marcus Visionary's phenomenal album on Liondub International that dropped earlier this year. A terrific album end to end, it chronicles Marcus' funkier side featuring vocals from 77Klash, Jahdan, Johnny Osbourne, Luciano and more. Full review, Links + free download after the jump...
Marcus Visionary | Carib LP - Liondub International | 2010
A massive winning LP for Liondub International that could have been years in the making judging by the shear number of nang dubstep, soca and funky-inflected riddims Marcus Visionary has packed into this single album! The entire 27 tracks are a striking tour de force displaying Marcus' dark dnb and breaks side keeping step with his Guyanese soca-steeped roots. From his diverse backgrounds Marcus has culled some very notable collaborators for the Carib project. Two opening anthems, featuring the Brooklyn stylings of Jahdan Blakkamoore and 77Klash, set the tone for the rest of the album. ShyFX protege Benny Page also touches down for In the VIP, a funky re-rub of Slim Thug's 3 Kings, and the sly and deceptively simple, yet heavy-hitting Black Panther. Closing out the album, Marcus presents three wonderful dub cuts featuring dancehall godfathers Johnny Osbourne and Luciano. In between the album is predominantly a funky affair - albeit one clocking a steady dj-friendly 140bpm - pitting dnb synths and dark atmosphere against equatorial percussion and dub pressure. Reminiscent of UK garage master El-B, Left Foot Skank stands out from the others for its irresistible wobble and 2-step drum rhythm. Other tracks, like Surinam, Georgetown and Carifesta are straight carnival bashment and are sure to put any dancefloor in a right frenzy. Hourglass also stands out for its shuffling acoustic elements and malevolent sub bass. Amongst these tracks are several well-crafted dubstep tunes. Most of these show Marcus' years in the dnb scene quite strongly and trade the well known half-tempo snare and wobble bass for ragga breaks and grinding bass synths. Ultimately the number of influences present in the work on this album forces us to abandon the crutch of genre specific sounds. We hear dubstep overlapping with its own roots as well as the parallel histories of dnb, house, techno, soca and dub reggae and producing what for me is a terrific statement of where bass music has come from and where it is going. You can grab this seminal work on vinyl or digital through these distributors.
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Beatport
iTunes
Turntable Lab
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Phonomonkey
WhatPeoplePlay
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Liondub International: Marcus Visionary - Carib LP
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