No Smoke / Watt Noize: Koro-Koro / It's My Life (Max D Edit) Vinyl 12"

“From a boy to a man…” A perfect introduction to the criminally slept-on Warriors Dance label which is finally getting some shine with a series of crucial reissues, starting with this Max D edit of lost club anthem “It’s My Life” from Tony Addis’ Watt Noize project. Like everyone else, we first heard the edit in the Beautiful Swimmers TTT mixtape a few years back, sending us on a life or death mission to ID the tune. “It’s My Life” is a rare collision of new age atmospherics, spring-loaded breakbeat rollage and street-level soul, released during the heyday of early UK hip-hop when soundsystem crews were taking heavy inspiration from New York’s rap scene and their homegrown rare groove scene alike, and the b-boy smoothness on offer isn’t too dissimilar from what Massive Attack and The Wild Bunch were cooking up in the earliest of nineties. Max D edits out most of the rap, specters of which you can still hear in the hook beneath the anonymous diva’s wailing vocals, leaving just the breaks, pads and uplifting refrain. We’ve got less info on the flipside cut, a remix of early UK tribal house tune “Koro-Koro” by No Smoke (another Addis Posse alias), run through the 00s minimal machine and comes out the other end a subtly refined slice of deep house with dub techno atmospherics and some synth bass squelches. Two 7+ minute side-length cuts, both at 45 RPM, 100% officially licensed, recommended.

• black vinyl pressing
• 45 RPM
• music label: Warriors Dance 2018

reviewed by tom violence 12/2018