Murena Records

Danish downtempo / dub producers Thomas Borre and Jesper Buhl first began their B&B International partnership back in 2000 as a series of informal music sessions, these unpretentious beginnings leading to appearances on both ‘HomeBrew – A Danish Downbeat Compilation' and the now-defunct Guidance Recordings label's ‘Hi-Fidelity Dub Sessions' series. I personally first came across B&B's work when I picked up ‘Decorated With Ornaments', the first single to be taken from their 2002 debut album ‘Hobbylab', and since then, their overall sound seems to have embraced a increasingly live instrumental direction, compared to the samples-dominated electronic approach of their earlier offerings.

This latest EP shows Borre and Buhl drawing upon the vocal skills of reggae singer Wendy Wonder for a smooth downbeat collection of four new tracks that lean distinctly towards smoky dub and lovers' rock. On the A-side of this 12” ‘Never Forget (What You Told Me)' offers up a smooth as silk wander through lazy reggae rhythms, majestic-sounding live horns and subtly-placed guitar textures creating the perfect deep dub backdrop for Wonder's soul-influenced vocals as reverb-FX clatter back and forth between the speakers. Title track ‘Not Touching The Ground' leans more heavily into skanking ragga beats, live drums adding extra propulsion to Borre and Wonder's intertwining vocal harmonies as retro-sounding Moog swells twinkle and dart, before ‘No More' places glitteringly synthetic handclaps beneath rich live horns and juddering jazzy drums, Wonder's “wicked man” lyric taking things out on a tip somewhere similar to one of Fat Freddy's Drop's more upbeat extrovert moments given a subtle electro overhaul.

While this EP doesn't exactly break the established downbeat European dub / reggae mould, it certainly offers a solidly smooth listening experience that shows B&B's increasing incorporation of live instrumentation adding new elements of lustre to their sound.