Bleep

The funky upstarts at 22a have come through with a right mixed bag here. Both Ayler and Tenderlonious have released separately on the label, but this collaborative LP seems to have really got the juices flowing on both sides. The album is a whirligig of post-jazz dance stylings, with the pair trying their hand at just about every style conceived within fifty miles of the Ford Motor Factory. ‘Smoke (Part IV)’ and ‘Bootsy’ are low-end-heavy Dilla worship; ‘Butterfly’ and the ‘Brick City’ jams exist in that sweet-spot between free-jazz, soul and club music; ‘Be Ur Friend’ and ‘Funky Booda’ are energetic dancefloor fare that are as soulful as their tempos are swift.