Browse by Label: SHIFTING PEAKS (UK)

Artist:	HACKMAN
Title:	The Always EP
Label:	SHIFTING PEAKS (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	SPEAKS 001EP

"With a label HQ based half way up a cliff in deepest North Devon, and an artist roster that includes a Hampshire lad living in Leeds, a crew of Cubans holed up in Hackney, and the hottest new thing to come up out of Leicester since Willie Thorne hung up his cue, new label Shifting Peaks won't be easy to pin down geographically. And musically, it promises to be no less diverse, covering everything from the deeper end of Funky and 2010 Garage to Cuban hip-hop and dubbed out beats. Kicking things off in style for the label is Leeds resident Hackman, whose 'Pistol in Your Pocket' tune was one of the highlights of the recent Fabric/Elevator comp. Lead cut 'Always' employs the vocal talents of newcomer Harper Lake over a bumping UKF/Nu Garage backing that's both warm and deep, combining proper hooks with easy dancefloor appeal. Fast rising Londoner Brackles then takes the song and straps on a phuture-garage turbo-charger, adding techno textures and slamming beats for a crunching, dynamic rework. An instrumental version of Hackman's original work appears in its own right, and to round the package off, the dubheads also get 'Multicultural,' a deep, percussion-driven roller perfect for late night jams and red-eyed headphone excursions alike."

Artist:	VA
Title:	UK Tropicale EP
Label:	SHIFTING PEAKS (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	SPEAKS 002EP

"Cuba's complicated. Standing alone and defiant for decades against its bullying neighbors in the North, safeguarding the real gains of revolution : economic equality, decent healthcare, unequalled infant mortality and adult literacy rates for the region. But it's a one party State, with no independent Trade Unions and no real freedom of movement or expression, and the truth is that you don't have to be some frothing anti-Castro freak sweating it out in Miami to consider yourself a political refugee from Raul/ Fidels' Cuba . 'Stylo Pohibido' rapper Roll-X left Cuba, Havana in the late '90s, swerved Miami, and headed straight for Hackney/London instead. His Red Smoke Family studio initially was a base for garage and UK hip-hop artists, then slowly established itself as a base for Cuban émigré Rappers in London (Papo Record, Mr Huevo, Philipsman, Michelito, Kid Africa). Mixing up hip hop and reggaeton ('Cubaton' ), 'Rejalate', 'Tiren' and 'Arranca' here showcase the breadth of that sound : big synths, fat beats, booty bass and urgent raps steeped in Latin-British hip hop culture. 'Rejalate' and 'Tiren' are battle cries, letting everyone know the Redsmoke Family train is about to burst out of its Hackney base, 'Arranca' a tropical bomb waiting to go off. In the name of dancefloor solidarity, we called in some UK brothers to collaborate. Leicester's finest Emvee carries on where his 'Glitch Dub' left off, adding rave-bass, rolling percussion and marimbas to Mr Huevo's 'Rejalate' . Hackman uses RRB's salsa piano riffs and Roll-X's rap over his trademark funky rhythms to get seriously tropical. Midlands bod Max Morrell closes the package out in style with a dubby, jacking, funky-fidget hybrid, using a sliver of Arranca's vocal over slamming beats and big basslines for a pulsating finale."

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