Someone Else + Miskate: Gullah Go-Go EP
foundsound

Good times continue with the latest fabulous 12-inch from foundsound stars Someone Else and Miskate, as the two demonstrate remarkable skill at transforming field recordings, found sounds, and, in these two instances, tiny slices samples of Gullah vocals (a creole form of English, indigenous to the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia in the southern United States) into idiosyncratic dancefloor magic.

The title alone of “Dee Gullah Go-Go” suggests its gleefully experimental and high-spirited tone. With a minimal house and subterranean bass pulse the bouncy glue, the tune builds fractured bits of female soul vocals (barked and sung), hyrdraulic thrums of percussion, and machine squeaks into a seductively jacking nine-minute collage. “No Catfish (Whoop Whoop)” rocks as forcefully and as imaginatively, with a greater share of vocal slices spread across its skipping house groove and sub-heavy bassline. The little sailor whistle that surfaces throughout is a sweet unifying motif but it's the chopped vocal effects that captivate most, especially when Someone Else and Miskate slice them into all manner of syllabic incoherence, making the 'vocalists' resemble a town hall meeting of afflicted Tourette's sufferers.

Ridiculously inventive, the material is a non-stop stream of sonic imagination and found sound genius. In fact, though the label's releases are always strong, the Dee Gullah Go-Go EP might not only be the most fully-realized example of the label's aesthetic but may be its best release to date.

July 2006