Ghost 67 (Interview)

Today we done an interview with Ghost from England who talks to us about his life and music.


Check It Out

Alright Man, how how you doing today?
I’m good thanks, a little tired but good. I got a lil tipsy at the weekend for my boy’s wedding so I’m feeling tender.

Where you from?
I’m from Stratford On Avon, a small town in the Midlands, UK. It’s the birthplace of Shakespeare so we get mad tourists every day of every damn month. I like it though, I don’t get on well with crowded city life.

Describe your music in 3 words?
Deep. Honest. Funny.

When did you first start getting into Hip Hop?
I got into it when I was at high school. I started listening to Ice-T and just couldn’t believe some of the shit he was saying. I absolutely loved that he could put his rawest thoughts on a record and actually get it heard... and make money from it. Then I heard Cypress Hill and it pretty much went from there. The more I listened, the more I fell in love.

How did you first start getting into making music?
I started writing verses as a way of expressing myself. After a while I figured I’d see what the recording game was like so I went to a basement studio and laid down 7 tracks. They were awful!! The production was great (because I had no part of that) but my flow was horrendous. I remember I didn’t write any choruses because I literally had no idea how to, I had no idea how important the hook or chorus was in a song so I just left them out! After that I reassessed everything but mainly focused on my flow. As far as beat making, I’ve never had any part of that, aside from the back-of-the-room comments I throw at producers now and then.

Now at the moment your promoting your new debut album "Footsteps of an Angel of Sin" , What can we expect from this man?
Man, this album is pretty much my life. The album as a whole is based on a 2 year period in my life that I really struggled through. I think there’s only one song on there, it’s called Regular Guys and features Blade, which was written before the 2 year period started. Footsteps represents the period in someone’s life when they are completely lost, they don’t have the answers for how they’re feeling and they turn to thing’s they normally wouldn’t in order to get them through a tough situation. I listen to a lot of music and some of the stuff I was hearing was so focused on trying to impress the listener that I felt the artist lost the honesty that I was so used to hearing. So I based my approach on that honesty, I sat and started writing down exactly how I felt; be it happy, sad, aggressive, suicidal or whatever. I made a promise to myself that I’d write the album like I was writing a book, like a diary of fucked up events throughout the 2 years. I would say to anyone wanting to listen to the album, you can expect to feel like you’re gonna know me a lot better after listening to it than you did before. Honesty is my thing man, I’ve tried to keep everything as honest and straight up as I can, without upsetting those close to me. It’s been tough writing some of the stuff that you know your parents and loved ones would definitely not wanna hear... But I made that promise to myself and so they have to hear it; they always listen to a new track first though so they can prepare for what others are about to hear. There’s a mixture of songs on the album, some very funny, some very sad, some very angry and some just very chilled. It’s my life man.

And when roughly were you hoping on putting it out?
It was meant to be out the start of 2011 but I’m still putting the final touches to it. I’m waiting on one more verse to be sent to me and then it’s a wrap. The first single, Angel of Sin was released about 2 weeks ago and is available to buy on all major online stores (iTunes, Amazon, Tesco etc)> I’m hoping for an autumn drop at the moment. The second single which is called Land of the Lost and features Celph Titled is the next focus and then it’s the album itself.

Ok have you been involved in many open mics, or gigs?

No. I’ve had many opportunities to perform but in all honesty, I hate the attention. I don’t get a buzz from it whatsoever and figure I couldn’t give the fans 110% if I didn’t enjoy it. So I stick mainly to studio work. I set up studio tours where I’ll fly to NY and Detroit and work with new artists... But I leave the stage stuff for those who really enjoy it. The studio is my home, that’s the place I feel most understood.

Do you feel you may be missing out on some new fans, as you don't do live shows?
Yeah definitely. It was something I weighed up quite seriously in my head but at the time that decision was made I was playing rugby every weekend and training most nights, as well as writing music, recording, working and trying to have a personal life. I did originally start off with a view to do live stuff but the deeper I got involved with rugby and music, the more I ignored the important people in my life. The girl I had at the time, I felt was constantly being let down by me because I was either playing rugby, weight training or writing and recording music. The music itself could never be replaced and nor could the training and rugby so I evaluated it all and figured I would just never do the live thing, that way atleast I was at home with my family and friends instead of on stage somewhere with a bunch of strangers infront of me. I do travel and I have no issues with performing for people or meeting new emcee's and working with them, infact I literally this second just got off the phone with an airline to book up another trip to Detroit to record with my boy Solystic (check him out, very talented).... it's just I enjoy leaving the studio and shutting off, walking around my home town where everyone knows me as Chris and living a quiet life. It's a big weigh up but at the moment the reclusive lifestyle suits me very well.

What acts have you worked with so far?
I have collaborated with many talented artists. On the Footsteps of an Angel of Sin album you can expect to hear Celph Titled, Nightwalker, Blade of Mark B & Blade, Face of So Solid Crew, Mr CRF, Wordsmiff and a great singer called Sophie Sheppard. I’ve also worked with a bunch of others but you can check them out on my website. I’m in talks with 2 or 3 very good emcee’s at the moment about featuring on the next album and everything is very positive right now so hopefully the next project will be equally solid!

What are your influences? (This can be mc's/producers, but just anything that influences you to make the music you do)
Musically, my influences are very widespread. Pink Floyd, John Denver, Mike Oldfield, Led Zeppelin, Blade, Ice-T, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy, Springsteen. Life wise, my influences are my family and friends. I take friendship extremely seriously and only surround myself with people I feel I can be completely comfortable around. Once I feel comfortable I generally talk a bunch of shit to see what makes people laugh, cry etc.... I then use those reactions to help with what I write about. It sounds deep but it’s not, I basically say offensive dumb shit and if people laugh then I know it’s gonna work in a song. If it offends people then I know I have to dumb it down a little so the average human doesn’t start hating on me.

Links to check?
www.ghost67.co.uk
www.reverbnation.com/ghost67
www.myspace.com/ghost67
I’m also on facebook but you can just google me for that.

Ok before i go Dyou have any shoutouts?
Big props to everyone who bought the Angel of Sin single, I really appreciate you spending that hard earned money on my song. I really do, I feel blessed that you’d spend the time to do that. All the fans I’ve picked up along the way that stay true, make videos for me, plug my music, spread the word and do their bit to keep me moving. The handful of artists that I am very close to and speak to for advice – thankyou! Oh and strippers.... I wanna thank every stripper that’s entertained me! Mad love and big peace!

I wanna give a big shout to Ghost for taking time out to do this, Big Up to him


And go check for his music people, believe me it's dope.

'Postcards From The Edge' - Ghost (review)

Although abstract, the title couldn't be more apt. You might imagine the edge in question to belong to Hip Hop, probably at its border with the leftfield. Ghost sends home a taste of what it sounds like in that far off and foreign place.

The title track, which is free believe it or not, really sums up the project and is definitely for those small hours when relaxation is the order of the day. Immerse yourself in Ghost's sounds and sink deep into the comfort of the producer's proficiencies.

But don't get too comfortable! Kashmere and Jehst lend the vocals from 'No More' for a heavily Dubstep influenced remix - whoof! 'Neon City' provides the stepping stone between the two previously mentioned psyches with its ethereal synths marrying perfectly to the lolloping bass and drums. Certainly something worth writing home about.

The rest of the album falls between the two bookends set out at the beginning with Aeries providing more rap on 'Time Will Tell' and 'Way With Words' and tracks like 'Hearts and Minds' bringing that real wonk to proceedings.

'Postcards from the Edge' can be bought in various ways from Bandcamp right now.

'The Exit Strategy' - Invisible Inc. (review)

Ghost’s electrified woozy beats on ‘The Exit Strategy’ provide the perfect backdrop for the rhymes of some of the UK’s best rhymers: Kashmere and Verb T. With relaxing, hypnotic headnod tracks being the overall experience this is one to settle and listen to – let the sometimes surreal, sometimes true-to-life lyrics wash around the emptiness the production has cleared. Asaviour pops up on 'Suspects' and 'Paranoia' and gels well with the group. This is an understated, unsung release that is guaranteed to give you what you need – if only it had a physical release.

It can be heard for free and downloaded for a minimum of £3.50 from Bandcamp. If you pay more than a fiver you’ll get two extra tracks.

'Remixes From The Edge' - Ghost (free download)

UK Hip Hop producer Ghost has been on a musical journey with his last album 'Freedom of Thought' being more focused on the instrumental beauty of non-looped beats. His latest project is a remix album entitled 'Remixes from the Edge' on which he remixes artists as diverse as Dabyre and Bonobo, The Heavy and Coldcut aswell as some UK Hip Hop mainstays (Foreign Beggars and Kashmere).

Many of the original tracks were unfamiliar to me but this neither helped nor hindered my listening. The album is a mix of quality music of different styles bound to expand the horizons of the average Hip Hop listener.

The album costs as much as you want to pay - whether that be £0.00 or £10.00, it's your choice. For the purpose of knowing which track was by who originally and for the purpose of relabelling your tracks once you've downloaded them here's a useful tracklist:

1. Foreign Beggars - No More ft. Jehst & Kashmere (Ghost remix)
2. P Money - Everything (Ghost remix)
3. Coldcut - Sound Mirrors (Ghost remix)
4. Bonobo - If You Stayed Over (Ghost remix)
5. Dabyre - Air (Ghost remix)
6. The Heavy - No Time (Ghost remix)
7. Foreign Beggars - No Holes Barred Ghost remix
8. AT Jazz - Together Ghost remix
9. Kashmere - Poison (Ghost remix)
10. The Heavy - How You like Me Now (Ghost remix)

'Remixes From The Edge' by Ghost Coming Soon

Heaviness from UK producer Ghost soon come:

"This album is compilation of remixes I decided to give away for free. All tracks remixed by Ghost, a big thanks to all the artists for letting me remix their great work, support the artists and buy their official releases."

Go listen to the snippet mixes now - they're terrific! Whilst you're at the marvelous bandcamp why not stream his other albums and then buy them if you haven't already. Support good music!

The release of 'Remixes From The Edge' will coincide with the launch of Ghost's new website and will feature Foreign Beggars, The Heavy, Coldcut, Dabrye and Doom, Photek, Anti Pop Consortium and Bonobo.

Basment Sessions Live In B'ham

In conjunction with Brick City Boutique & Sensei FM, Basement Sessions are proud to present Basement Sessions Live, a celebration of Hip Hop culture. The line up truly is incredible with acts from around the country performing throughout the night:

On the bill are Jack Flash (Huddersfield), Invisible Inc: Ghost, Kashmere & Verb T (London) , Prose (London), Inja (although he's TBC), Unkle Festa & Case Closed , Brotherman & DJ Flipz, Soweto Kinch & The Live Box Band.

There'll be some DJs spinning too, people like DJ Cro (Birmingham) , Tuf Kut, J'da Kut (Sensei FM), Disorda (Suspect Packages), Iron Fingaz (Sensei FM) and DJ Matman.

As if that wasn't enough there will also be a Louis Den Live Beat Cypher hosted by Kosyne and Sonny Jim & including a beat battle sponsored by King Apparel(so bring your best beats on CD to compete), a 3 round rhyming competition sponsored by Soap Box Clothing & CMAT Studios, live illustration by 3 top graffiti artists and live breakdancing supported by Breakfest. Oh, and Brick City Boutique will be running a Hip Hop market similar to the monthly event they run in Angel Islington.

To buy your tickets please go here and if for any reason that doesn't work, just go to www.seetickets.com and search for 'Basement'. The tickets are £7 in advance and £6 for students.

'Theolovision' - Sleaze (album review)

Sleaze aka Hermes Trismegistus (Who? Whut?!) can be easily contrasted with Nas: whereas Nas notoriously picks bad beats, Sleaze has picked a set of bangers on this, his ‘Theolovision’ long player. Ghost, Beat Butcha, Wizard, Endemic, Reklews, Hey!Zeus, Madskillz and Skank all pitch in with awesomely heavy beats – this LP’s strong point.

Sleaze, a Bromwich boy transplanted to the south, retains his accent as he raps frenetically on tracks such as ‘Wild Sumerian’ and ‘Bembine Triad’ – which frankly, aren’t as deep and thinky as I think Sleaze would like them to be. Mr. Trismegistus does stand out from the pack but mainly because of the fact that his rap style will not be to most people’s taste - something he's aware of as the press release states "13 tracks of how Hip Hop should not be flavour of the week". ‘Theolovision’ claims to be the brainchild of a theologist and historian amongst other things – I’d like to see those influences shine brighter, I’d like some real light bulb moments and I’d like some more insightful lyrics.

Sleaze has reeled in a list of likeminded MCs such as Ruffstylz, Lee Scott, Gramma Marksman, Super Dertie to vibe alongside this likeable but hard-to-swallow MC (No homo!). Stand out tracks are ‘Wild Sumerian’ featuring T-Bone and Illmystic and ‘Success (Worked My Whole Life For This)’.

‘Theolovision’ is out now and available at Suspect Packages and who knows, you might really feel this.

'Freedom Of Thought' - Ghost (album review)

Being a producer and making instrumental beats is all very well but if you’ve no vocalists then you’ve got to put more effort in. Thankfully Ghost must have realised this long ago – he’s well versed in creating an instrumental track that actually goes somewhere. Whether he’s making beats with what sounds suspiciously like typewriters (‘Daze’) instead of drums or whacking an awesome guitar solo in a track’s climax (‘Return Journey’) Ghost always brings that extra je ne sais quoi to get the listener hooked.

On occasion the hook is the guest MC – Jehst, Verb T and Dubbledge represent the UK Hip Hop scene and Finale Detroit’s. Verb T’s contributions on ‘Invisible World’ and ‘Frozen In Time’ sure build up anticipation for the Invisible Inc. project he and Ghost are involved with alongside Kashmere. Both tracks are pretty atmospheric yet the drums maintain the head nod – a formula Ghost has perfected.

What’s nice is that the tracks here are not samey, and not just for background music (although it is great for that). ‘It’s All Love’ explodes with cheeky jazz swing right before Ghost’s spaced-out version of DJ IQ and Jehst’s ‘Elevate’ kicks in. I can only describe ‘See You Crying’ as a Massive Attack-esque power ballad whereas ‘Remember’ manages to remind me of Jimi Hendrix, early-days Oasis and psychedelic-times Beatles all in one track – definitely a stand out. Then ‘Road To Somewhere’ shuffles into existence with as much jive as a Hip Hop head could wish for.

The much-anticipated ‘Freedom of Thought’ is being released on 15th June on Breakin Bread and there’s no doubt – you should buy it!

'One Man Show' - Finale

Finale's 'One Man Show', from his album 'A Pipe Dream And A Promise', is produced by Black Milk and it's an absolute hit. It's got me wanting to hear the album but until I get it I'll have to be content with King Most's Finale Megamix.

Finale is from Detroit, a place where it seems all the most promising Hip Hop artists are emerging from nowadays. UK Hip Hop fans will also recognise Finale's name from his features on Ghost's albums both past and present.

The album also features production from J Dilla and Oddisee.

Hip Hop Producers - Ghost Interview

"I've seen first hand that some countries are quite a bit behind on what's 'hot' in the UK and the US, and frankly they have a much better taste in music and how they respect the music and the artists."

Being a well respected man in the game and having just dropped a new release can only mean one thing for a UK Hip Hop artist - I interview them. OK, so I don't interview everyone and that's not the only thing that having respect and an EP mean but in this case it did mean that I had to interview Breakin Bread producer Ghost and I jumped straight in with the questions:

Certified Banger: How would you describe your instrumental output? Is it Hip Hop?

Ghost: I think so. I grew up on Hip Hop so I consider anything I make an extension of Hip Hop. I grew up listening to classic Hip Hop from the early 90s so even if my music isn't a classic Hip Hop sound the ethos behind the music is taken from that time, a time when the music was more than just a ringtone, a fad - it was music with passion and soul.

CB: Which do you prefer: creating instrumentals tracks or beats for MCs? How does your mindset differ when you’re doing either?

Ghost: I like to do both, I think over time I've learnt about making music which is probably why more of the recent stuff is instrumental. It's a challenge to make the music interesting without a vocal when you have no formal musical training whatsoever. The important thing is to keep the listener entertained enough without a vocal ‘cause all the attention shifts to the music, you have to add more depth to an instrumental.

Click here to read on

'Freedom of Thought EP #1' - Ghost (EP review)

On his latest release, ‘Freedom of Thought EP #1’, Ghost, sounding not unlike DJ Shadow’s at his best, pleasingly mixes guitar samples with big and crunchy un-Hip Hop drums and cymbals to create some nicely emotive pieces. With the added strings and vocal ‘ooohs’ it’s a wonder ‘Way U Feel’ doesn’t come with the sheet music.

‘Return Journey’ sees the above formula added to as synthy keys and bells provide layers of melody. Then just before the half way point Ghost gets all Eric Clapton on us with a seldom heard in Hip Hop electric guitar solo – awesome, heart-warming stuff. ‘Feel Pain’ fits the template yet Ghost has again added extra spice to make it taste that bit different as the track builds up and down.

‘S’all Good’ features Detroit’s Finale and whilst it’s more Hip Hop than the instrumental tracks it’s still a little different from traditional rap beat fare. It’s “smooth and uplifting” and more synthy which fits Finale’s upbeat lyrics just fine. ‘Elevate’ is a remix of the DJ IQ track featuring Jehst and it’s “possibly one of [Ghost’s] favourite tracks off the album.” It’s the type of soundscape that accompanies documentaries on deep sea life – something I’ve not heard in Hip Hop before!

‘Freedom of Thought EP #1’ is out on 12"/download on 06/04/09 on the Breakin Bread label.

Reviews Pending

As usual I've got a great big pile of CDs waiting to be reviewed, and as usual, I'll endeavour to write about them all. Just so you know, here's what's coming up whenever I get some time, in no particular order:

Joe Budden - 'Padded Room' (album)
Kyza - 'Love and Music' (single)
Haka Beats - 'Underground Journeys' (album)
Choong Family - 'Baptism of Fire' (pre-album)
Ghost - 'Freedom of Thought EP #1' (er....EP?)
Jyager - 'Encrypted Scriptures' (album)
Jack Flash - '4 Minute Warning' (single)
Asaviour & DJ IQ - 'The A Loop Theory' (album)
Tricksta & Lunatrix - VA - 'Flying the Flag' (double mixtape)
Big Narstie - 'The Big Man Returns' (album)
Two Fingers - 'Two Fingers' (album)
Modulok - 'Cities and Years' (album)
Knew Jeru'slum - 'Non Apologetix' ft. Manchild (single)
Mr Scruff - 'Nice Up The Function' ft. Roots Manuva (single)
Reachout - 'Fly Baby' (album)

I'll also be doing interviews with a number of UK Hip Hop artists including Ghost, Endemic, Knew Jeru'slum and Karl Hinds.

New Suspect Packages Show with Chester P!

New Suspect Packages show with Chester P as guest! It features Wordsmith, Salvo with Kashmere and Chester P, Asaviour, Ghost, Jyager, Two Fingers, Bradford's Dr. Crobe and loads more as usual. It also finishes off with a new beats section.

Download the radio show here!

Also, read Disorda's post about illegal downloading and uploading and check out what some had to say about me below in the comments! (It's not all good, I mean why would anyone care what I thought?! It's a good point.)

Ghost Album To Be Released In June

UK producer Ghost will be releasing his new album entitled 'Freedomof Thought' later on this year in June. The album, which is already available in Japan (?!), will feature the good vocal tones of Verb T, Finale, Dubbledge and Jehst - no small fry then.

The artwork, left, is by Will Barras, member of the Scrawl Collective, who's artwork is super lovely and pretty tripped out.

April will see a vinyl EP release as a taster for what the album holds. For starters, head over to Ghost's myspace page because there are loads of clips from the album to be heard by your head flappers. It sounds right chilled whilst still being a banger, maybe it's all the New Zealandish air?

In very long term (well, it's quite far away), Ghost's third album 'Invisible Inc' should be dropping in 2010 - this is the album with Verb T and Kashmere.

Asaviour Interview

"When I hear the words UK Hip Hop I can’t lie; the thought of unfinished beats, raps about rapping come to mind…"

Asaviour has been on the rise for a few years now and his forthcoming LP 'The A Loop Theory' will surely cement him a place at the top of the UK Rap pile. Here he is talking about his past, Lowlife, who he's worked with and which tracks off his new album with DJ IQ are his favourites:

Certified Banger: Yo Asaviour! You’re gearing up for a new release but before we get into that, for those who have kept their ears closed over the last 3 or 4 years, can you give us a quick history of Asaviour?

Asaviour: First appeared on Jehst’s ‘Premonitions’ EP, worked with artists like Konny Kon and Strategy, featured on a track by Jehst called ‘People Under the Weather’, worked with a number of artists like Yungun, Kyza, DJ IQ, Dubbledge, Micall Parkinsun, Verb T, Ghost etc. Dropped an EP called ‘Savoir Faire’ on Lowlife Records. Then released the single ‘Money in the Bank’ REMIX backed with ‘The Homecoming’ on YNR Productions, followed that up with a debut LP on Lowlife records called ‘The Borrowed Ladder’, released a series of mixtapes called ‘Play 2 Win’ and I’m about to drop a new album alongside DJ IQ called ‘The A Loop Theory’. There’s a few different records in between all that but… you get the idea!

CB: So, what is it that you’ve got coming soon? Tell us a bit about that:

Click here to read on!

Asaviour - 'Lust Letters' (The remix) - Taken from the Play to Win 2 MixCD

Asaviour - 'Sucker or Savvy Revisited' - Featured on the Play to Win 2 MixCD - Taken from the forth coming Album 'The A Loop Theory'

Asaviour - 'The Aim' - Taken from the Play to Win 2 MixCD

Mudmowth Interview

"As for calling everyone label mates... that’s too official, we’re all boys. If I do ever marry Lily Allen they’re all in the front row except for Ralph – he’s down front giving up the ring!"

Certified Banger: Yo Mudmowth, how’s it going, what’ve you been up to?

Mudmowth: What’s happening? Everything’s wicked at the moment man, the record’s been selling real well, just got back from a small tour of Denmark and Austria now, the crowds were amazing over there, they love their Hip Hop man. Besides touring and pushing the music just been real busy recording new stuff with Metabeats we got an EP coming soon called ‘Sledgehammer Kisses’, I’ve been doing stuff with P.L.O who produced ‘Skullcrackology’ which is pushing the boundaries, its gonna be a project for everyone into music full stop - we got violinists, guitars everything on there, the stuff we got recorded so far s**ts on anything I’ve ever done so I’m really excited about getting that out! As for my album ‘Breakin Blocks in Legoland’, that’s recorded waiting to be mixed down and features production from Ghost, Evil Ed, Conspicuous, Sam Rockwell (who produced ‘Circus in the Cemetery’ and ‘Broken home’) and others. I can go on all day about how good it is but I’ll just sound like an egomaniac, all I will say is if it had been released this year it would have s**t on everything in UK Hip Hop that came out.

Click here to find out what Mudmowth will be doing at Christmas, what he thinks of Goldie Lookin' Chain and more (including something to do with a midget and some rhubarb).

'Rapsploitation Sessions' - VA - Jimmy Green & Truth (compilation review)

Do not sleep on this release. One of a few compilation/mix CDs around this moment, this one won’t disappoint. Featuring tracks from artists who have performed at Ipswich’s only Hip Hop night Rapsploitation Sessions it’s clear that Truth and Jimmy Green have good taste in music.

The artist album tracks here are the cream of the crop: Mr. Drastick’s Chemo produced ‘Give it Up’, Def Tex’s ‘Bomber’, SonnyJim’s ‘Next Generation’, Reain’s ‘Rap Game’…the list goes on. It’s great to hear a load of good familiar tracks in sequence as chosen by someone else - saves me ripping and burning my own CD. From an album I’ve not yet heard; Precise Da Analyzer and Dubbledge get hilariously mean on ‘Neverland’ (“You’ll never be friends like Joey’s new sitcom”).

The non-album tracks stand up to the already released tunes and there are a couple of proper stand outs. Kosyne’s ‘A Tale of a Tenner’ proves that he’s one to watch as he spins a sordid yarn of crime concerning one ten pound note. Ghost, Verb T and Kashmere debut as Invisible Inc on the lovely end-of-night chill-out vibes of ‘Invisible Inc Theme’. Even host Truth steps up with ‘Body of Work’, produced by Jimmy Green, the CD’s DJ. The new Vinyl Dialect cut ‘Spray’ proves they’ve truly refined their sound whilst preserving the curveball rhymes.

I could go on describing the merits of each of the track on here, I’ve not even mentioned the tunes by Sir Smurf Lil’, Verb T, Stylah, Conspicuous and all the other heads on this release. ‘Rapsploitation Sessions’ is a varied but perfectly sequenced collection of some of the newer stars of UK rap. This one I really will bump repeatedly.

It’s out now on P.Found Music and can be gotten over at their myspace for a barge-in £5 plus p&p. I’d buy it so you should too man.

'The EP' - Lingua Franca (EP review)

Now for something a little different: What no rap? No, but Ghost, the producer behind Lingua Franca has paid his dues in UK Hip Hop so ‘The EP’ deserves a review.

With a hat tipped to DJ Shadow ‘Falling Back To Her’ kicks off this three track sample of what’s to come (album ‘Things Don’t Stay The Same’). Pint size vocalist Devorah, sounding not unlike Massive Attacks Shara Nelson circa ‘Blue Lines’ adds another edge to the terse but soulful production.

‘Feels So Good’ is my pick of the pops – I can’t resist funky drums, funky guitars or indeed, funky basses. Oh, or funky brass. This song is the reason why Ghost formed a full band in order to take their music on the road. A live performance is sure to be an uplifting experience.

‘Treat Tonight’ finishes off this taster jazzily – their bow has multiple strings. Despite the laid back instrumentation Ghost displays hip hop tendencies and laces a thumping drum track complete with snappy snares.

‘Things Don’t Stay The Same’ will be sure to keep you toasty sometime this winter when it’s released but to warm yourself up as of 27th October get to the Breakin Bread shop and purchase ‘The EP’.