PRESS REALEASE FOR NEW FLESH'S LP 'UNDERSTANDING' REALEASED 2002
Looking for something a little bit special? Tired of the emptiness of both jiggy lyrics and underground music? You're in luck. Here's the "not-to-be-missed" (DJ) "Understanding".
New Flesh have come a long way since 1999's debut album "Equilbrium". That record was a dark, brooding, almost violent affair, but times have changed. While "Understanding" is every bit as innovative as their first outing, New Flesh have rediscovered their love of soul and reggae and dancehall and soca to create a leftfield almost-r&b classic, where the bap is booming and the lyrics flow so hard it leaves you breathless.
With guest appearances from Roots Manuva (crashing his Cecil Pimpernel persona against Juice's Norbert Psyche), Beans (Anti-Pop Consortium), Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Ramm:Ell:Zee, Gwen Esty, Robotic E.B.U. (Gamma) and Ty, this is a record of many moods and moments. It is all held together, however, by state-of-the-art beat-making from Part 2 (on the brink of becoming one of the coolest production names to drop in the UK) and the vocal and lyrical flexibility of Toastie Tailor and Juice Aleem.
The buzz around this record has been building since the start of the summer, sparked off by the low key release of "Communicate" and bolstered by a series of live shows that have driven crowds wild. With the album to be immediately followed by the release of the incendiary true-steppa "Stick & Move," 2002 is set to be their year.PRESS QUOTES: NEW FLESH - UNDERSTANDING 2002The Guardian
"A startling and original album. The trio inhabit the same sort of warped headspace first reported to earthlings by George Clinton. Moogs, whistles, reggae and P-funk combine to create some fearsome, quirky leftfield grooves, while the lyrics cover everything from Her Majesty’s corgis to the war in Sierra Leone… An enthralling show of UK hip hop’s newest talents"GQ
"From the people who brought you Roots Manuva, here’s another truly great British hip hop act. There’s a lovely warm vibe to their blend of soca, reggae, funk and soul but they still know how to do a straight-up dancefloor anthem in the shape of "Stick & Move," a furious attack on bling-bling culture."
NME
"A terrific record, [a] cocksure exercise in plunderphonics and cosmic verbal dexterity. New Flesh are today hip-hop in attitude only, coolly remixing their own hectic environment so that the final result mutates elements of LFO-era rave, electro, klaxon-riddled soca, digital soul and stone-cold funk into a cohesive whole. Kaleidoscopic in range without ever losing sight of its roots, 'Understanding' is a confident, crazed album, thick with energy and ideas."
Touch
"As good a document as I’ve heard of the state of black music in the UK right now. Hip hop meets dancehall, electro meets soul, ragga meets funk, garage meets rocksteady and nothing gives an inch. Next year’s hip hop bomb already ready to drop? You bet."
DJ magazine
"A rap album in that people rap on it (including stunning cameos from Roots Manuva, Ty, Gamma, Anti Pop, Ramm:Ell:Zee and Blackalicious), but really a dub, dancehall, funk, soul, rock, no-wave, d&b, electro masterpiece as well, reflecting the crew's diverse musical upbringing and a thirst for exploration so driven the album achieves a weird kind of paradox - utterly inventive and yet potentially huge!"
Metro
"Refreshingly free from traditional hip hop vocabulary, sample dependency and general cultural baggage. Part 2’s sci-fi electro is as mutant as anything on the Warp label but owes its rhythmic suppleness to its grafting of fluid soca, soul and dancehall rhythms… Those searching for a new direction for the UK hip hop debate would do well to look here."
Mixmag
"Essential… a genuinely special record that sets the benchmark for UK music in 2002. Another landmark release from Big Dada"
Music Week
"A heady brew bursting with electro, ragga and contemporary R&B influences that are more than a match for US counterparts… The first important hip hop album of 2002"
Independent On Sunday
"Innovative hip hop fusion… possibly a future classic."
The Observer
"A validation of British rap music… re-engineering electronica amid the spirit of Kraftwerk."
Q
"An audacious hotpot of hip hop, soul, reggae, soca and drum ‘n’ bass. Part 2’s kinetic beats complete a highly imaginative package"
Loaded
"Unprecedented, cutting-edge stuff. New Flesh have chosen a huge range of musical forms to lay their vocals over, from soul to dancehall. The lyrics are almost poetic and guest appearances from the cream of underground talent abound. About as near as dance music gets to art"
IDJ
"A deeply accomplished hip hop document that boasts heady production, musical warmth and moments of incredible ingenuity. If Roots hadnt already taken the title this would win the award for best UK Hip Hop of the last 12 months hands down"
The Face
"The sound of the UK underground at its most sublime"
Muzik
"Cool, soulful and intelligent. another hip hop classic from the on-fire Big Dada"
Knowledge
"New Flesh are running the show when it comes to the cyber funk vibes… Astounding"
College Music Update
"Much like Manuva’s ‘Run Come Save Me’, ‘Understanding’ is a triumph for UK hip hop, proving that there are some real ground-breaking moves being made on these shores. The bomb"
