dub KULT: I Know You Want Me
Living Records

An ear-catching trio of “booty step” tunes from Zimbabwe-born, London-bred DJ and producer dub KULT, aka Neilon Pitamber and the man behind Living Records (by his own description, “booty step” is a blend of Chicago booty house, London dubstep, and Berlin techno). The opening title cut explores masculine-feminine interpersonal dynamics by confronting male arrogance (“I know you want me”) with female dismissiveness (“I feel so sorry for you”) while a bleepy rhythm track and raw bass line keep score. Here and elsewhere, Pitamber's use of dizzying vocal counterpoint proves arresting and gives the EP added oomph. Even more direct in its dance-floor focus, “Booty Snatch” works a buoyant jack, bubbly bass pulse, and swirls of vocal samples (and even a dash of electronic experimentalism in its textural treatments) into an enticingly funky head-spinner. With “In Tune (2009 Version),” Pitamber revisits a track originally issued on a white label 12-inch in 1998 under the title “In Tube Bob.” Again, multiple voice elements repeatedly criss-cross; in this case “Mmm, I could really cook with one note,” “Get ready,” and “in tune” relentlessly hammer their way into one's cranium while gullotine snares chop heads in the background. It's amazing and heady stuff from start to finish, and the listener's attention never strays for long during the EP's twenty minutes.

December 2009