– GUERRILLA WARFARE –

If you think brass bands make music for bread adverts. If you think African folk musicians are parochial. If you think youth choirs are cute. This is the collaboration you need to hear.

Mm Mm brings together the group that performed a 45-minute set at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics (and who regularly do a brass-band medley of Prodigy covers) with one of the Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World (who has recorded an afrobeat cover of Talking Head’s Once in a Lifetime) and a collective that have collaborated with everyone from beatbox innovator Reeps One to pop superstar Mark Ronson.

And the result is just as bonkers and as brilliant as you would imagine.

All three have enough charisma, individually, to sustain your interest, but when they combine forces… well, the Avengers are no match.

A particular highlight for me is the call-and-response between Beninese ringleader Kidjo and the North London (yes, they are a project that is established by the excellent Chalk Farm venue) choir.

But, of course, providing the heartbeat of the whole piece is Hackney’s finest and they do it with such gusto, they are simply undeniable.

The piece is part of a larger work carried out by Hackney Colliary Band called

Collaborations: Volume One which is due out on 7^th June and promises additional guest appearances from Ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke and nu-jazz pioneer Bugge Wesseltoft.

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

GODTET: COMEDY
TYLER, THE CREATOR: WHAT’S GOOD
EABS FEAT. TENDERLONIOUS: PRZYWITANIE SŁOŃCA
ROSE DROLL: HUSH

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –