These seven new tracks from Steve Cobby display both his multi-instrumentalist chops and his dextrous drive for diversity in his drumming. While the tunes are all down to mid tempo they show off several different sides of Steve’s significant sticksmanship. For example, Chugi juggles beats with jazzy piano in post-boom bap head-nodding heaven, while The Owl Of Minerva – a favourite of Francois K – picks out a Tommy Guerrero-esque loose groove and bastard blues. Its shuffle, stop-starting, with drop-outs, and plenty of echo. United States Of Africa 2 floats flute over summery, syncopation. Relaxed and romantic, like some long lost, lush library music cue. Similar, say, to Pete Jolly’s recently reissued Seasons.* The live instrumentation, like Wurlitzer organ and bumping slapped bass, in perfect synergy with its synthesised showers. Silent Windmills packs a percussive pattern that mimics the 808 of early hip hop and electro. Jubilant and of jazz-funk extraction it also boasts brass samples and YMO-like Firecracker synths. Its computerised hand claps and cymbal crashes giving off sparks.

Cowbell-like chimes cover Sepulveda’s slow, treacly TB-303 squelch. Its rhythm guitar rocking out a purple Prince-esque funk. Mind Dem Doorstep starts with some very human, very caring, Jamaican jive before slipping into a sophisticated slice of slo-mo, future fusion. Complete with Sci-Fi keyboard solos, it’s something that might have once been labelled “trip hop”. It certainly could have been a mid-90s Mo Wax side. The set’s parting shot, It’s Raining Diamonds On Neptune’s has sleepy marimba map a half-remembered mambo. Subversive sub-bass shaking this otherwise sweet saxophone-led sunset serenade. 

*Thank you Brother Lee for the heads up.

Steve Cobby’s Fuck No is out now. Over at Bandcamp you can buy the music, and the t-shirt.