Any other year and the superbly titled ‘Manual For Successful Rioting’ would have easily been the runaway winner for Cougar Microbes album of the year. I witnessed Birdy Nam Nam delight a partizan Parisian home crowd when they closed the second day of Rock En Seine back in August and was blown away.
There was a risk that on record the French turntablist crew’s would effectively be competing for who could pull the biggest/maddest technical trick at the possible expense of the dynamics and energy displayed live. Fortunately their January 2009 release exceeded even my expectations.
Crazy-B, DJ Pone, DJ Need, and Little Mike handpicked and moulded a unique set of samples through their original turntable set-up. The soaring dynamics they manage to produce draw parallels with a band lineup with each of the four DJ’s taking centre stage and dropping to the background accordingly. Over eleven tracks they deliver a masterclass in electro placing themselves easily in the same league as their better known friends Justice.
Grab that manual and learn it inside out because as soon as Birdy Nam Nam hit our shores you’d better be ready to riot.
TRACKS:
Birdy Nam Nam – The Parachute Ending
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