The somewhat fish-obsessed Mr Scruff classic gets a little analog love in the mastering department by the amply qualified Kevin Metcalfe (Soundmasters). In all likelihood, any Ninja Tune obsessive worth his or her salt already owns this jazzy dancefloor-friendly album, but after 10 years since it first surfaced, is this update something to be welcomed by newcomers or spurned by long-standing fans?
The original disc has withstood a decade of dance with, amongst others, tunes like the guitar-driven ‘Spandex Man’, jazzy ‘Get a move on’ and nostalgic ‘Blackpool Roll’ still revelling in their unique, quirky resplendence. It’s not only the added warmth and tightened sound that fans who already own the album should desire: there’s a bonus disc of unreleased material to delve into. Nine songs providing a mix of traditional numbers associated with Scruff’s downbeat delivery as well as more up-tempo dancefloor flavours are presented here.
Starting with the trip-hop of ‘Vibraphone Boogie’ (which wouldn’t sound out of place on the original Keep it Unreal), it’s a smoky, Bristolian affair that rival label Mo Wax might have delivered around the same era. ‘Sky Blue’ finds 303-style bleeps jutting out of an ethereal sea whilst a thudding house-beat adds the necessary pulse to bring the song to life. ‘Baisies‘ cryptically acknowledges the piano legend with its sampled, staggering chord jabs and rolling sub-bass while a horn section moves in and sequentially out of the equation. A Rhodes piano and funky bass provide the staple of ‘Happy Band’ and there’s even an instrumental of ‘Jus Jus’ which should provide a little light relief from the gloomy tone that Roots Manuva‘s verses lend the original.
Ninja Tune have provided an example of how re-released material should be released: with excellent mastering treatment and a disc of fulfilling bonus extras that welcome the old and refresh new. Be assured, a repeat or first time purchase is most certainly worth the punt.
Keep it Unreal is released on June 26th (Ninja Tune)