Front Bar

Two examples of home grown hip-hop that almost make the grade but fall just short. Both are completely rooted in their own environments (London and Dublin respectively) and admirably don’t try to draw on false experiences.

Ri Ra’s is the better of the two, a rough and ready ode to the joys of getting smashed while Roots is on a more lovey dovey tip.

A series of heavyweight remixes up the ante, with the Londoner given a frantic drum’n’bass reworking from MJ Cole and a complete strange trip by the Super Furry Animals while Adrian Sherwood dubs it up in Dublin.