Up, Bustle & Out
Light 'em Up, Blow 'em Out

It's interesting to note how, despite everything, compilations and DJ mixes are no longer just limited to commercial or contractual purposes, but are still able to provide the opportunity to discover "new" musical realities that would otherwise remain semi-unknown to most. This is the case of the Dj Kicks by the renowned Thievery Corporation, an intriguing collection from 1999, which in its seventh track included this unusual electro-Oriental medley, somewhat ignorant like The Prodigy, somewhat traditionalistic with tabla and banjo, characteristic of certain cultures, known as "Emerald Alley", a track that surely aroused the curiosity of many, as well as made the album "Light 'Em Up" known to a wider audience, a work produced in 1997 for the ever-active Ninja Tune, by Up Bustle & Out, a Bristolian duo formed by DJ-sound technician Clandestine Ein, and producer-composer-multi-instrumentalist (in the mentioned album also as Aventurero) Rupert Mould.

As one might expect from the aforementioned track, the evocative cover, and the previous adjective, the two offer us a personal and journey-like mix of downtempo, electronic, funk, acid jazz, a bit of trip hop, and many South American, Cuban, Indian, Spanish, Oriental influences, now the central concept of the UBO project, never as emphasized as on this third work. While tracks with an oriental attitude like the chosen one by Thievery, the percussive "Party With The Ray", and the ambient of "Rain In Tibet" (which, as the title suggests, leads us to certain lands, with rainfall and echoes of local inhabitants included) immediately strike for the immense variety of ideas, inspirations, and fragrances they release, other episodes like "Coca Conga" with its samba hints, "The Dance Of The Caravan Summer", with its Spanish-like rhythms, and "Compared To What", boasting a singular mix of banjo, flutes, Latin instruments, and old school raps (courtesy of Krissy Kriss from 3PM), will undoubtedly capture the listener, throwing them into a cultural-spiritual listening of undisputed charm.

The album is then completed with downtempo and high-quality North European-style electronics ("Y Ahora Tu", "Clandestine Operation"), jazz references ("Apple Strudel", "Coffee At Senor Rudis") [with excellent contributions from Vicki Burke on sax, and John Donegan on piano], and more technically demanding moments (the beat, the hundreds of samples, and the extraordinary technical-effects virtuosity of "Lazy Daze" certainly do not go unnoticed), while always maintaining that blend of tradition, culture, and sociology that characterizes the sound of Up Bustle & Out. Significant contributions also come from the three singers who put their signature on the only three vocal tracks: indeed the warm tones of Sally Larkin and Sharon Wynter hold their own splendidly on the relaxing "Hearty Do-Lallies", while the seductive voice of Señora Eugenia Ledesma (a truly unique tone) does even better on the dark electronics of "Ilusion", and "Silks Perfume and Gold" (the latter a real gem of the platter).

How is it possible then to travel from Brazil to Tibet, from Spain to South America, from the Middle East to the European industrial greyness in just over an hour, without leaving your stereo system? The answer is in these lines: "Light 'Em Up"! A work full of ideas, and extremely interesting. Make a note of it!