Afrika Bambaataa & the Millennium of the Gods - B More Shake

Afrika Bambaataa, the "grandfather of hip-hop," has a serious house track out on Tommy Boy Silver Label. Today, one might associate Hip-Hop with relatively low tempo grooves; Afrika Bambaataa dominated the charts back in 1982 with the now-classic "Planet Rock," which was a high energy funky party track, clocking in around 129 BPM. So from the beginning Afrika Bambaataa was into uptempo danceable music.

With an extensive discography since dropping that classic, Bambaataa has remained deeply in the mix of dance music. This single, "B More Shake," is a set of three remixes. The FC Nond remix is a hard-hitting deep and tribal track. The vocals are minimal, simply stating "shake." Very realistic tribal drums and an authoritative groove make this one a true mover. There is a big synth riff that is introduced and re-introduced, and the track just keeps pumping away. Definitely an example of how effective a solid rhythm and bassline can be. This top notch approach shows how simplicity never goes out of style. The Marcos Carnival vs Mavi Club mix is a tad noisier, with added tribal drums similar to DJ Dero's style in his "Batacuda" track. It's very energetic and has a celebratory parade type feel.

Whereas the previous remix goes for the jugular with a straight-up house groove, this one breaks into a big funky breakbeat with tribal sounds all around it. It's got a rhythm like booty, but all the sounds are hardcore tribal; all the funk and none of the cheese.

Overall, a very unique sounding record, and one that is definitely designed to move bodies with the power of rhythm and groove. Minimal, percussive lyrics are there as spice- there is no lyrical "song" here. The final mix is the Marcos Carnival vs Mavi Funk mix, which is basically an edited tribal drums apella as a sort of DJ tool. This excellent single will add fire to any tribal set.