Talking Drums Vinilo y CD

Review: If these drums could talk, they probably wouldn't talk too much; they'd do more slapping. As much is true for Manchester's mysterious Talking Drums outfit, who hardly talk up their music online more than they simply unleash it to the world and allow the public to take it in on its own merits. Vol. 5 of their self-titled 10"s series hears three tracks of wavy, downtempo proportions, modelled after the sound of a turntable playing at -6 on the pitch dial. 'Speaking Drums', our highlight, remixes an overlooked slice of German glam.

Review: Self-proclaimed purveyors of 'music for the fringe class' Talking Drums have been responsible for some terrifically cosmic, percussive and oddball re-edits over the years, something that makes their self-released EP series a genuine must-check. Volume six boasts three more eccentric but essential treats, with the Manchester-based crew successfully breathing new life into some pleasingly obscure gems. A-side 'Air Ecosse' sounds like a quirky, mid-80s European workout - all cascading, chiming synth sounds, reverb-laden percussion solos, whispered female vocal snippets, staccato machine drums and seriously squelchy bass. Over on side B, 'Too Yacht To Handle' is - as the title hints - a tidy revision of a groovy, loose-limbed yacht-rock funker, while 'Aorwaves' is a slow-motion AOR disco gem.

Review: Self-styled “semi-cosmic” and “way wonky” sorts Talking Drums – a mysterious Manchester-based crew dedicated to digging in pound bins in search of wayward classics to re-edit – return with a seventh collection of inspired reworks. The undoubted killer here is ‘Doner Summer’ (we chuckled, at least), a suitably cosmic chunk of Munich-made disco smothered in exotic Turkish instrumentation and trippy electronic noises. Over on the flip they deliver two takes on a re-imagined Algerian record, which they’ve cheekily named ‘Chaba Ranks’. There’s their original mix – proto-dancehall, Algerian style, with added analogue synthesizer insanity – and the largely vocal free, Balearic dub style ‘Chaba Skanks’.