Bristol duo Malakai follow up their limited edition Invada single ‘Fading World’ with the ‘Malakai EP 1’ on September 3rd through Island Records.Malakai are Scott & G, a studio based act using samples & live instrumentation. Their own ideas fused with an enormous range of influences to create music that’s diverse and compelling.Over the EP you’ll hear hints of Public Image Ltd/ Tricky/Death In Vegas/Rammellzee/Morricone/Ninja Tunes/UNKLE/Demon Boys/Portishead/the Beatles/Bushkiller/Grandwizard Theodore & The Fantastic Five/Radiohead/On U Sound/ Funkadelic/Boards Of Canada/Studio 1/David Axelrod/Lee Perry/Aphrodite’s Child/13th Floor Elevators & Kool Keith. A cosmic soup of sounds and flavours that’s already whetting the appetites of Zane Lowe & Gilles Peterson. The EP’s opening track sets the tone nicely. ‘The Battle’ is an orgy of hellfire. Snarling vocals set against a galloping Spaghetti Western style guitar riff with some tough old school drum breaks crashing against a wall of psych guitars and handclaps.‘Moonsurfing’ is a flamenco guitar driven treat, ‘Fading World’ is the full album version newly recorded with extra strings & tings, and ‘Words Like Humble’ an authentic piece of studio one inspired reggae and not a whiff of cod in sight. Malakai also embody a very English eccentric style that’s a nod towards the Small Face’s classic Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake, Peep Show, the Mighty Boosh & Monty Python.
The skits in between the tracks are part of their make-up, they like things a little off-kilter. Keeping it all together is producer Segs (from punk legends the Ruts) and Steve Dub, both of whom recently added their studio skills as producers to the Sunshine Underground.
Malakai ‘Malakai EP 1’ Sep 3rd 1. Intro 2.The Battle 3. Moonsurfing 4. Fading World 5. Skit 6. Words Like Humble