Allergies - Freak The Speaker - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Allergies are back with a new album - Rejoice! And the feel-good funk, hip-hop swagger, and dusty vintage loops, is everything you need right now. Across the 13 tracks, producers Rackabeat and DJ Moneyshot dig deep into their souls, as well as their record collections, serving up a day-glo blast of super positive sampledelia that'll have you smiling from ear to ear. Built from scratch during lockdown, each song offers up a world to lose yourself in, free from any and all dark clouds. It's their Promised Land, and everyone is welcome to bask in the sunshine.

Vinyl LP pressing. Otis Houston Jr. Recorded the songs for America in three locations around Harlem and the Bronx in 2006, the year the album was originally self-released. Makeshift studios that no longer exist provide a telling context for his autobiographical storytelling. Prerecorded beats made by studio owners were picked based on which suited his cadence laden poetry best and often-times on America the songs repeat, with different lyrics, transforming themselves. Houston Jr., a raconteur and quick-witted wordsmith has so much to say, that when there is a groove, he doesn't want to let it go, but rather float around and experiment. Influenced by Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and the like, his strong voice and natural ability to use slogans give this album a cunning stance. Juxtaposed by the highly visible time stamp of mid-aughts DIY R&B production InchAmericaInch sounds sometimes like worlds colliding, smooth improvisations, quick turnarounds and soul bearing truths.

The Allergies are back to...'Tear The Place Up'! This brand-new full-length album is bursting with their trademark explosive energy. Across each dynamite track they mash up feel-good hip-hop flavours with club bubbling styles, dynamite soul selections, and a whole heap of expertly chopped sample sources and powerhouse vocal performances. A diverse range of collaborators include the likes of Bootie Brown (The Pharcyde) Andy Cooper, Marietta Smith, Dele Sosimi and Joe Lickshot whilst the music is built up from hundreds of funky and forgotten wax samples, dope drums, and slick cuts, resulting in a collection of punchy and powerful beat-based tracks that span multiple genres.