From an ice cold refresher on a 31 degrees Celsius afternoon, The Black Seeds Specials: Remixes and Versions from Solid Ground is like swirling around a cube of ice in your glass and watching it melt into the ripples of the drink. Specials features new remixes from The Black Seeds 2008 album Solid Ground. This album takes the icy-cool tracks from Solid Ground and mixes them into a new blend, with a new shade, and a new taste. As far as remix albums go, this is definitely on the list of ones to own. Solid Ground proved to be a highly successful album from the highly praised act and two years since its release, The Black Seeds have returned with a new appreciation of the songs from the original. Featured on Specials are brilliant remixes of Solid Ground’s  ‘Make a Move’, ‘Slingshot’, ‘Come to me’, ‘One Step at a Time’, ‘Love is a Radiation,’ ‘Strugglers,’ ‘Send a Message’,  ‘Take your Chances’, ‘Rotten Apple as well as the Solid Ground bonus track ‘Year of the Pig.’

Specials contains three remixes of popular track ‘Come to Me’. The first features MC’s Mighty Asterix and Desta, the second JStar remix features MC Ishu and brings a sharper reggae flavour. The third, International Observer remix has a dash of funk infused into the beat.  Also included on the album are two remixes of ‘Make a Move,’ the Downtown Brown remix which features MC Asterix and Switch and the Radio Riddler remix, and two remixes of ‘Rotten Apple’, the D-Tox remix which teases the song’s tempos and has a more dance-electronic vibe, and the ‘Rotten Dub’ D-Duff remix which has a lazy beat that you feel yourself slide into.

‘Love is a Radiation’ is a revised version of ‘Little Sunshine.’ The song features David Levi and Porina and is beautiful song with fantastic and rich melodies. ‘One Step at a Time’ the JStar remix is blustering. This is the track to lethargically rock your head back and forth to. ‘Strugglers’ has a Flash Harry Dub version which is followed by an acoustic version of ‘Send a Message.’ This song is conspicuous on this album for the way it is so undressed from all the layers of bass beats and synthesisers. It makes for a perfect change of pace about halfway through the album, before catapulting back into the groove-inspiration.

The Truth remix of ‘Slingshot’ is fantastic with its particularly snappy drum beat and rhythm. ‘Take Your Chances,’ The Frost and Wagner remix, is sassy in the way it breaks down the elements and constructs them back together to create this excellent remix. ‘Year of the Pig’ makes an appearance on the Specials album. It was a bonus track added to the US version of Solid Ground on its North American release in late 2009 so it is a welcome inclusion on this album.

Specials is a perfect remastering of Solid Ground. It has fourteen remixed tracks that spans across most of the songs from Solid Ground, which is really great. It is the perfect supplement for those who already own Solid Ground but it stands as an album in its own right also. Fresh, chilled and satiating Specials is an album to get a hold of just in time for Summer.

-Janise.

• 1
  Head Like A Hole
• 2
  Horror Story
• 3
  Fraser Ross
• 4
  Fur Patrol
• 5
  Michelle Rounds
• 6
  Devilskin
• 7
  L.A.B.
• 8
  Coridian
• 9
  Late to Chelsea
• 10
  The Boondocks

• 
  Casual Healing @ Festival of Lights - Pukekura Park, New Plymouth - 28/12/2024
• 
  Will McClean @ Festival of Lights - Pukekura Park, New Plymouth - 28/12/2024
• 
  Shapeshifter @ Coroglen Tavern, Coroglen - 27/12/2024
• 
  Paige Julia @ Coroglen Tavern, Coroglen - 27/12/2024

• 1
  APT.
  ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
  Billie Eilish
• 4
  TASTE
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
  Gracie Abrams
• 6
  ESPRESSO
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 7
  SAILOR SONG
  Gigi Perez
• 8
  LOSE CONTROL
  Teddy Swims
• 9
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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