Stromba Tales from the Sitting Room

Sound like a lazy bunch this lot. I suspect that they may also be into drugs. Thoroughly bad lot. Just imagine what it'll do to property prices round here...Sorry. Thought I was writing for the Daily Mail for a second. Seriously, though, Stromba sound completely unlike the sort of bunch you could take to meet your parents. In reality though, they're probably very nice chaps. But musically, well, they sound like they're up to serious mischief.

Originally a sample-based duo, mucking about with an Akai S950 and some overdubs, Tom Tyler and James Dyer have been recording together since the late 1990s, and released an EP, The Pinch on FatCat in '99. Since then, Dyer spent a lot of time looking after DC Recordings, and Tyler released a few records on the same label. Steadily a line-up/collective evolved, including regular collaborator James McKechan on bass and guitars as well as musical contributions from Adrian Meehan, Duncan Mackay and others. This mix of sample-based work - the staple of earlier recordings and the new live elements, takes us out of generic dance music territory and into the weird worlds of him or Sabres of Paradise, the broad crossing initially staked out by Miles Davies circa Bitches Brew or the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, as the sample and the live track meet and procreate. The trick here, of course, is that it almost always sounds organic and live.

Titles here give you a clue as to what's going on. Camel Spit is a hookah-heady middle-eastern swirl while Blue Skin sounds like an Ethiopian take on Miles Davies, layered with massive beats and grimy African guitars. Throughout there's a swampy, dubby depth to the sound, even on one of the few really up-tempo tracks, the funky Giddy Up (see - the clue's in the title). Tickle Me Dub takes us back to the heyday of Two Tone, while Swamp Donkey is a chunky slab of Afro dub.

The blend of live musicianship and insightful sampling if seamless and inspired throughout. A soundtrack to the naughtiest day of your life. But just wait 'til the neighbours find out.