Coldcut - Everything is Under Control
Released Nov. 14, 2005
on Ninja Tune
The British duo known as Coldcut haven’t released a proper album since 1997’s Let Us Play. This month they unveiled Everything is Under Control, a CD single and a preview of what’s to come on Sound Mirrors, set for a January 2006 release date.
The song features Jon Spencer of Blues Explosion and emcee Mike Ladd, whose conspiracy-theory diatribes set the political tone for the track. The original version is an electronica-based hybrid of rock guitars, left-field hip-hop vocals and big drumbeats with cowbell.
The CD also includes five remixes with varying tempos, instrumentation and arrangements. There’s a downtempo version stripped of the guitars; others were sped up to heart-stopping speeds. I recommend the original, though a few of the remixes are worth listening to.
Listen to all the tracks for yourself, or check out the video, also included on the enhanced CD — probably not worth buying. Wait for the full-length.
Keeping busy
Despite the time it has taken them to announce a new album, Jonathan Moore and Matt Black have not been running quietly at idle.These pioneers of sample-based electronic music began working together in the mid-’80s and have been making noise ever since. In 1988, they hosted the Solid Steel radio show together, which then ran on Kiss FM in London and is now available online and syndicated worldwide. In 1991, they founded the prolific Ninja Tune record label.
Taking their cut-and-paste compositions beyond music, Black is also one of the directors of NOW!, an intriguing and collaborative film project.
The duo also had a hand in Revolution:USA, a multimedia political art project allowing visitors to assemble and contribute their own audiovisual commentary on the States’ political climate.
An updated version of the real-time video manipulation software that Coldcut helped create in 1997 will be released early next year. A demo version of VJamm3 will come with Sound Mirrors.