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Styly Cee - Joyrider / Kofi's Night 12" [Son Records]
Styly Cee
Styly Cee is probably better known for his beat making work with the Lost Island, now though he is going for self and has broken out of the crew to focus on his own stuff. For this release he has hooked up with two of Son's tastiest MC's. For the first track Joyride, it is new signing, C-Mone who blesses the track with the verbals. She is fresh out of the Out Da Ville Crew, but like Styly is out to make a name for herself. For the track Styly's music and C-Mone's lyrics just meld together to make a real head nodder. The production is pretty basic and it is all about the fat bass line that fills the whole track. The pattern barely changes and could perhaps have a bit more variety, but with the drop outs along with the occasional claps, bell and crash cymbals, bottle sound and yelps there is just enough to keep it going. Anyway, backings can so easily be overdone, and this isn't an instrumental. C-Mone drops a meaningful verse about a single mother who takes her child on a joy ride in a jacked escort and the state she is in it could easily turn into a suicide bid. She gets chased by the police and she just misses a pole. C-Mone asks whether the situation could actually partly be the responsibility of the young mother, whether she was a drug dealer at 12 or not. This is social commentary on wax from a perspective we don't usually get articulated. C-Mone has her own releases lined up and I for one can't wait to hear more of this MC. 

The B-Side Kofi's Night features Midnyte, an MC who has already had his own Speak The Truth 12" out on Son last year. This track makes great use of a JB's guitar break and with its sparse beat has a real old skool Marly Marl type feel. The SP 12 was working overtime for this track. There is a lot of groove in here and it just goes to show that some of the oldest samples are the best and can still be flipped in refreshing ways. With a minimum of samples - effectively only 2, the JB's and an 'ooohhh', excluding the drum sounds wonders can be worked. I think a revival of old sounds is due and this track can be at the forefront. This track is right up my street - classic production, but a new MC with a straight up Notts accent. It takes Midnyte a while to actually say anything of substance, there is no choruses, so it is until about a third of the way through really. Before that he's mostly saying don't test him and big up Notts, but towards the end he really lets rip and shows what he is capable of. More importantly in a way, is that he flows well and just sounds good.

The 12" has instrumental's and accapella of both tracks and once again shows that it ain't just London that is banging hard at the present time. The Midlands has its own hotbed and a whole lot of voices that need to be heard. Recognise.

Son Records Discography
Visit Son Records on the web: www.sonrecords.com
:: Email:[email protected] 
 
PO Box 4296, London, SE11 4WW

Son Records
Intro Early Doors:
1979-1985
False Dawn:
1985-1990
Underground Years:
1990-1995
The Renaissance:
1995- 2000
The Future:
2000 & Beyond
Artists &
Discographies

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