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House of Downtown: Mother Funkin' Earth

A three-tier cake of '70s funk with Pacific inflections slapped on a solid house foundation, 'MFE' is an ambitious and groove-worthy labour of love from former NZM cover stars Christiaan Ercolano and Emerson Todd. Residue from the blender may contain traces of Stevie Wonder, Parliament, Chic, Alex Gopher and The Commodores. The sumptuous package design emphasises retro-techno fetishism for blaxploitation-era disco and soul. It shows on cuts like Surface, with Bella Kalolo bringing a down-under Donna Summer to Tulele's Luther Vandross, or 1st Second, with its yearning loverman vocal. Bongos bounce around some booty-shakin' square wave bass and car bumpin' beats. While the style might seem derivative or even copyist, HOD have carved out their own quarter-acre niche (nearest neighbours Subware?) and deliver quality goods. Their composing and arranging has coalesced since 'Release', making 'MFE' accomplished and confident. Meticulous construction and compulsive fun to warm up the clubs this winter.

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