Jimmy Caster
It's Just Begun

A long awaited collaboration by Moroccan magician OCB and veteran Scottish imprint Craigie Knowes. Driss Bennis' relentless drive for originality continues as he distills all things OCB into the 4-track Crocodile Tears EP.

When hearing this material today and realizing it was originally released in '96, one can't fail to acknowledge the timelessness of these sounds – clearly illustrating how ahead of their time these productions were. Ranging from 130 to 145 BPM this EP presents a solid study in synthetic rhythm and percussion layers masterfully juxtaposed with unidentifiable electronic noises and nuances. A trademark sound signature of their own. Unmistakeable Spiral Tribe from a special era in party culture brought back when we need it the most – forward the revolution.

If there were a parallel universe, Silverlining would surely inhabit it as a devoted silviculturalist (one who cares and cultivates forest trees; a forester), empowered with superpowers to converse with the plants. But in this realm, the South Londoner can only daydream about a life in the woods from the warmth of his log cabin-inspired studio in the depths of the urban sprawl, accented with the aromas of forest air freshener. His latest Forest Dreams EP channels his pining for pine onto yet another slice of black PVA for your listening and dancing enjoyment. “The Lumberjack’s Call” laments the woodcutter’s cry for “timber” (or is it saying “deeper”?), stripping a disco-tinged house groove through a metaphysical sawmill, punctuated by Motor City-inspired synths. “Tepozteco”, named after the neotropical national park and mountaintop pyramid outside Mexico City, draws inspiration equally from US house grooves of Mood II Swing as it does the ethereal synthetics of early Warp Records. The release closes off with the title track “Forest Dreams” where the latter earthly tones are swept aside to meet the demands of dayglow techno sprites that haunt the electrics of Silverlining’s studio.