Electronic music juggernauts Warp Records, known for such musical staples as Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin, have dropped a new bomb in the music world in the form of dub-drenched beat masterminds Africa Hitech. Their debut full length, 93 Million Miles, sounds as if it was recorded and pressed today. This is as fresh as it get in a music world dominated by nostalgia. Instead of looking to the past, the duos members, Steve Spacek and Mark Pritchard, are looking to the future. They've crafted a ragga rich, bass crazy epic of a dance album that pulls inspiration from reggae, hip hop, dancehall, and dub (with the occasional -step thrown in) to form a breed all its own.
The duo is the culmination of two electro hard-hitters who joined forces after their stint as instructors for the 2007 Red Bull Music Academy. Steve Spacek, known for not only his solo work, but also his work with such groups as the electronic-fusion of Spacek and the post-Dilla jams of Black Pocket. The other half of Africa Hitech, Mark Pritchard, has a different and incredibly varied musical background. He, along with Tom Middleton as Global Communication, created one of the most acclaimed ambient and electronic albums of the '90s, 76:14. He's also involved in countless other musical endeavours that are much different then his success in ambiance, such as the dirty dark beats of Harmonic 313. Steve Spacek and Mark Pritchard came together to meld their dominant styles together to form an inspired slice of ragga flow with a hip hop flavor.
93 Million Miles, with it's many inspiration and producers varying musical backgrounds, is a dense and challenging listen. The album spans 11 tracks, each one a sprawling display of genre bending madness. They utilize heavy amounts of repetition, with slight alterations to create a tightly knit track with little negative space to move around. There is a lot to hear in each of these songs. However pleasing it is track-to-track, the album as a whole can come across slightly bi-polar at times. The first half displays a fast-paced dark urban atmosphere; a more hip hop influenced sound. The latter half is more smooth with tropical undertones that's a little more ragga savy.
A good example of the multiple personality style of 93 Million Miles would be the comparison between the orchestral gang stomp and liquid bass line of "Do U Wanna Fight" and the smooth bongo-banging of another vocal-dominant song "Spirit". "Do U Wanna Fight", Africa Hitech's undeclared shout out to Major Lazer, opens with a sax-heavy intro that grinds into unintelligible vocals that are heavily manipulated and a beat that proves quite difficult to locate initially. This is a strong example of the hip hop mentality of these two creating a powerful urban sprawl of a song. "Spirit", however, displays a smoother and decidedly more natural tone. Softly delivered vocals cover the jungle sounds flowing in between the drums, both kettle and bongo. Both of these tracks are from opposite sides of the album, and they both display the trend of duality between the dark city front half and the bright jungle back half.
93 Million Miles' stand out "Out in the Streets" is a danchall dubstep banger that's backbone is formed by a layered Ini Kamoze vocal sample "out in the street" repeated incessantly, circulating through bass-crazy alternating beat cycles. Utilizing the solid structures heard throughout this album, this song is relentless with sound and gives no room to move around - creating a city claustrophobia that rivals that of the dirty beat doctor Babe Rainbow. This track in particular is an example of how with proper balance, all of their influences melded together can truly create an exciting listen.
Throughout this album there are varied techniques and talents employed that are truly innovative and very now. The albums midway epic "Our Luv's" wavering synth work and vocal cyclone ending; the guttural bass line of "Footsteps"; and the Broken Spindles-esque "Cyclic Sun", with it's clicking metronome beat -each track uncovers a new layer in the city-soundscape-to-jungle-landscape narrative that is consistently challenging, but consistently rewarding as well.
You can purchase Africa Hitech's Hitecherous EP and 93 Million Miles LP here.