Boddika - Steam

Label: Swamp81

Al Green can be a very busy man, so it’s strange when he goes quiet. The artist known as Boddika (formerly one half of Instra:Mental), has recently supplemented his ace solo productions with a mammoth compilation for his Nonplus imprint as well as a slew of hotly sought-after collaborative releases with Joy Orbison. Yet it’s been almost a year since we’ve had a solo release from the acid-obsessed hardware freak, so it’s a pleasure to finally hear Steam, which easily marks the best release on Loefah’s Swamp81 imprint in over a year.

Black

Although three of these tunes have been floating around on Youtube since last year, they’re still a pleasure to hear in high-def, and have lost none of their relevance. This is because Boddika’s style is rather timeless: bass-heavy structures fed on techno and acid roots - you can tell a Boddika production from a mile off. The mixture of subtlety and grit on opener Steam perfectly typifies the Boddika sound, as tunnelling bass movements propel woodblock percussion and an ultra-clipped vocal. While not quite DJ tools, there’s always something distinctly club-focused about Boddika’s tunes, as he hones in on a particular groove and toys with it, never letting up the pace. He does one better on  second cut Heat, where a sultry female vocal adds mystique to the seething acid riff and taut atmospherics.

Heat

If there was a notable restraint to the A-side’s technoid burners, the B shows Boddika getting a little unhinged, and it’s a welcome change. Black is a deeply menacing affair, as 808 cowbells, cavernous bass hits and misted vocals call out over a squealing, all-consuming synthline. Meanwhile companion piece Crack trades in clockwork atmospherics and filtering vocals, all set over roiling basswork. Boddika’s work is always precision-built for the club, but the producer’s attention to detail and atmosphere is ever-present – the material on Steam is sure to set the dancefloor alight, as long as you can take the all-pervading darkness.

7/10

Boddika & Joy Orbison – Swims

Label: Swamp81

Swims

If you haven’t already heard Boddika and Joy Orbison’s 2011 anthem Swims by now, you probably must have been making a conscious effort to avoid it. This massive tune blew up over the summer, and it’s still as satisfying and vaguely ridiculous as it was when you first heard it. Sparse percussive sequences follow one after the other under a jittery acid bassline, introducing the vocal you all know already – Walk for me, walk for me, walk for me, SERVE, walk for me etcetera. The vocal is sampled from Tronco Traxx’s Walk For Me, as are a few percussive elements, but Boddika’s distinct acid touches and the impressive breakdown featuring a perfectly incongruous cowbell ensure the comparisons stop there. On the B-side is an Alternative Mix which is largely unchanged save for a more melodic bent with big swooping chords arriving in after the breakdown, the most recognisable Joy O touch on the whole release. The only real problem here is that Swamp81 have taken so long to release it that there’s the potential for it to sound a tad dated, but the irresistible fun of this anthemic tune erases such worries as soon as you start playing it again.

8.5/10