Cardopusher: Yr Fifteen Minutes Are Up
Tigerbeat6/Shockout

Previously heard on labels such as Ad Noiseam and Terminal Dusk, Cardopusher (real name Luis Garbàn) now appears on Tigerbeat6 and Shockout for the cheekily titled Yr Fifteen Minutes Are Up. This dynamic third Cardopusher album offers a fresh take on bass science with cuts such as “Antisharkz” and “Paintbrush” offering snappy blends of bleepy funk and crisp two-step rhythms. Dubstep is, of course, a major part of the mix, but so too are electro, Latin swing, and even dub. Garbàn works vocal snippets, neon-lit electro fire, and other species of sonic matter into his sleek bass throbbers, and shakes things up by adding MCs Sensational and Juakali to a few cuts and including remixes from Mr. Gasparov and Ghosts On Tape. In time-honoured fashion, Garbàn takes his music seriously but keeps things in perspective too, at least as far as track titles are concerned (“Naked in Front of a Broken Computer” and “We Want Ca$h” two such examples).

A few ambient-dub flourishes seep into “Juice in Blender” before the tune leaps to two-step formation and dresses it up with a lithe funk pulse, and the album includes its fair share of hyperactive, electro-funk steppers, all of which hit hard without sacrificing polish (e.g., “Idle Talk,” “Coppertoned Punch”). The synth-inflamed and sample-heavy “We Want Ca$h” pushes the Cardopusher sound in hip-hop's direction, a move facilitated by the bite of MC Sensational's flow, and the urgent toasting of Dub War's MC Juakali on “Nice Up” intensifies the track's skittish, electro-dancehall drive. Cardopusher's remix of Kid606 & Jesse Quattro's “Holiday” sneaks a bulldozing slab of crunked-out swing into the album's center, with female vocals the tune's cherry on top, while the remixes of “Juice in Blender” and “Coppertoned Punch” (Mr. Gasparov and Ghosts On Tape, respectively) don't supplant the originals yet taken on their own terms are certainly credible enough. On this solidly crafted collection, the vibe is neither frenetic (in the breakcore sense of the word) nor laid-back but midway between the two, with the tracks' collective rumble exuding ample energy but not to an out-of-control degree.

June 2011