‘Government Criminal’ by Mazzy Dee x Coldcut x The People’s Assembly
Hitting the earwaves just in time for the UK General Election 2024, this is a phat slice of agit-pop aimed to end the sorry affair with our current criminal Government. It’s a Motown x Ska belter with Vocalist Mazzy Dee rocking it out at the house of original dancefloor hooligans Coldcut.
Mazzy is a long-term Extinction Rebellion strong activist voice who sings with Orchestrated Discontent. The tune picks up where Coldcut’s 2001 ‘Re:volution’ left off. It seems the lunatics have STILL taken over the asylum, with the 2 major parties taking it in turns to fuck the UK more completely then ever. But its the last bitter 13 years of Tory torture which means the message ‘Government Criminals- Please Be Gone’ must be heard celebrated danced to and shouted by the massive.
So, if this Government do duck off, what then? XR and the Brian Eno-convened Hard Art crew of which Matt is a member have an answer: People’s Assemblies. An alternative to the Houses of co-opted Commons and Lords which have failed the people in these trying times. ‘We know what to do, we’ll take it from here, thank you for your help, now disappear’ sums it up.
The quote from 1691s Bill of Rights (look up your history, we had to, too) states that all magistry and authority proceeds FROM THE PEOPLE. Something which these Tory grandees with their bullying assault on people’s protest rights have conveniently forgotten.
Last word ‘And take your corporate lobbyists with you’- who voted for lobbyists paid to pour poison into the ears of our elected reps? No-one but the corp-rats. Who no doubt are helping the ..uh…high cocaine levels in Westminster’s loos.. Coldcut propose mandatory drug testing for all politicians, as its their job to pilot the country. Would any MPs vote for that? humm…
Released on Ninja Tune sub-label Ahead of Our Time, with a surreal 1min viral clip to illustrate, ‘Government Criminal’ might not be quite as great a track as say The Specials ‘Gangsters’ but it comes from a parallel universe where pop can call on corruption and dance round it. Change is coming…
Video by Coldcut, Lenny Ibizarre and Dinaz Stafford. Thanks to Damien Sung.
@0 by Coldcut & Mixmaster Morris
Coldcut & Mixmaster Morris present a new ambient compilation, ‘@0’, raising funds for The Calm Zone, Mind & Black Minds Matter UK.
The @0’ Ambient Compilation features new recordings From Ryuichi Sakamoto, Suzanne Ciani, Sigur Rós, Steve Roach, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Skee Mask, Helena Hauff, Juliana Barwick, a Winged Victory for the Sullen, Laraaji, and many more.
Speaking with Matt Black (one half of Coldcut) on the project and its creation he explains that: “‘@0’ refers to that liminal state experienced many times where my mental and emotional stability was not solid and it felt like teetering on a zero axis about to fall into depression, or more rarely, mania. I found that ambient music, by making no psychic demands, often opened some space and with its soft fascination, subtly raised the energy, helping to avoid that downward spiral and navigate slowly up and out. @0 is a balance point.”
Keleketa!
Coldcut present Keleketla! An expansive collaborative project reaching outward from Johannesburg to London, Lagos, L.A. and West Papua.
Starting as a musical meeting ground between Ninja Tune cofounders Coldcut and a cadre of South African musicians (introduced by the charity In Place Of War), including the raw, South African-accented jazz styles of Sibusile Xaba, and rapper Yugen Blakrok (Black Panther OST).
From those initial sessions, the record grew to encompass a wider web of musical luminaries, including Afrobeat architects, the late pioneer Tony Allen and Dele Sosimi, legendary L.A. spoken word pioneers The Watts Prophets, and West Papuan activist Benny Wenda.
The album collaborators are as follows…
South Africa sessions – Yugen Blakrok, Nono Nkoane, Thabang Tabane, Tubatsi Moloi, Gally Ngoveni, Sibusile Xaba, Soundz of the South Collective, DJ Mabheko
London sessions – Tony Allen, Shabaka Hutchings, Dele Sosimi, Ed ‘Tenderlonious’ Cawthorne, Tamar Osborn, Miles James, Joe Armon-Jones, Afla Sackey, Benny Wenda, The Lani Singers, Eska Mtungwazi, Jungle Drummer and DeeJay Random.
Additionally, The Watts Prophets (Los Angeles) and Antibalas (New York) have contributed to the album.
The first single ‘Future Toyi Toyi’ is out now – plus a limited drop of 100 x 7” singles on Ninja Tune and Coldcut’s Bandcamp.
Keleketla! is released 3rd July 2020 on Ahead Of Our Time.
Buy/Stream here
Keleketa!
The story of an international collaboration
of music and activism
‘Keleketla!’ the Documentary charts an expansive project calling out from South Africa to Coldcut in the UK and then growing to include a tribe of musical and activist characters and energies.
Filmed: Jono Kyriakou
Additional Music: Coldcut
Final Mix: Zain Vally
Creative Consultant: Dinaz Stafford
Additional Filming: Jacob Claassens, Edward Henry James
Thanks to Sofar Sounds for Afla Sackey clip
Thanks to Keleketla! Library, In Place of War, British Council
Album out July 3
Jamm Pro
The anticipated evolution of Ninja Jamm, the original touch controlled beat app for iPad.
Designed by Coldcut’s Matt Black with the aim of creating their ultimate electronic music instrument, Jamm Pro has been 25 years in the making. Coldcut have been honing it in their live show and recently creating music with it.
Easy to use but deep, Jamm Pro includes Ninja Jamm users most requested feature: the ability to load your own samples. As well as immense performance power, it’s packed with pro features and new ideas.
Coldcut Present Pirate TV
Coldcut recently restarted the Pirate TV streaming channel they began in 1998.
Our Twitch channel is the best platform to check out our regular streams.
Zen Delay
Bringing together the best of the digital and analogue worlds, the Zen Delay is a BPM-synced stereo delay line, combining extreme feedback ranges for dub and experimental lo-fi effects with a multi-mode 24 dB synth filter and valve overdrive.
Inspired by a trip to Berlin’s trailblazing music hardware trade show Superbooth, Coldcut’s Matt Black and longtime friend Dr Walker (Liquid Sky artist collective / Air Liquide) envisaged the exciting possibilities of a custom hardware effects unit.
The result is the creation of the Zen Delay — the first-ever hardware effects unit produced in collaboration with an electronic music label.
Created and manufactured by Erica Synths, the unit is housed in a metal case with Erica Synths’ signature bakelite knobs and a valve circuit for extra analogue warmth. While sonically versatile, it is incredibly easy to use — each function has a physical knob that you can play around with without diving into manuals or scrolling through menus on a tiny screen.
Order from Erica Synths
Coldcut’s Spotify Playlist
RELAX YOUR MIND
Check out the blissful, eclectic, ambient sounds from our playlist.
We are updating it every two months so make sure to follow.
Coldcut and On-U Sound founder Adrian Sherwood have released new single ‘Make Up Your Mind’, a lovelorn, dubbed out ballad with lush vocals from Ce’Cile and production from Toddla T, given a fresh lease of life with new versions and a stack of remixes. Well-timed to provide a melancholy tint to Valentine’s Day, it’s the latest single from dub-pop opus ‘Outside The Echo Chamber’. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of Coldcut, and this record sees their long-overdue collaboration with Sherwood – a fellow giant of independent UK music – continue into 2018.
Following the success of their all star collaborative project ‘Outside The Echo Chamber’, Coldcut (Ninja Tune co-founders) and Adrian Sherwood (On-U Sound) return with a masterly 10” rework of album highlight and Hindi-Urdu love song ’Kajra Mohabbat Wala’.
Coldcut (Matt Black and Jon More) and Adrian Sherwood (kingpin of the legendary On-U Sound label) are the perfect sonic match; two pioneers of British music united by a maverick spirit. Coldcut x On-U Sound’s ‘Outside the Echo Chamber’ via Ahead Of Our Time – is an album of freshly-minted, electronic dub-pop.
Uniting an array of global musicians and vocalists including Roots Manuva, Junior Reid, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Ce’Cile – to name but a few – and made in London, Ramsgate, Jamaica, and Los Angeles – with co-producer and fellow dance heavyweight Dave Taylor (Switch & With You.).
See the box set vinyl release and more info here.
Only Heaven EP – Coldcut
Jon More and Matt Black – aka Coldcut – are back! One Coldcut hallmark has been their skill at choosing collaborators, and the “Only Heaven” EP is no exception. First up, they recruited super producer Dave Taylor (Switch / With You.) to work with them. Best known for his stint as Major Lazer with Diplo, Taylor has also produced for M.I.A., Santigold, Beyoncé and many more.
The new music here was recorded with him at the Woodshed Studios in Malibu, California. To keep the vibe sharp, Coldcut then brought in some UK vocal muscle in the form of Roots Manuva and Roses Gabor.
Tracklist
1. Only Heaven feat. Roots Manuva
2. Creative
3. Dreamboats feat. Roots Manuva and Roses Gabor
4. Donald’s Wig feat. Roses Gabor
5. Quality Control feat. Roots Manuva
Coldcut – Only Heaven Remixes
Coldcut, returning to the newly revived Ahead of Our Time label, have turned over their wares to fellow agitators and collaborators within the musical world. They bring forth a fresh cut EP, stacked with three club facing remixes of their stand outside, isolated anthem – ‘Only Heaven ft. Roots Manuva’.
Tracklist
1. Only Heaven feat. Roots Manuva (Matthew Herbert Remix)
2. Only Heaven feat. Roots Manuva (Special Request Remix)
3. Only Heaven feat. Roots Manuva (Cadenza Remix)
Bogus Order – The Bullnose Step EP
Bogus Order, creators of Zen Brakes Vol. 1, return with a new 12” on Ahead Of Our Time – 26 years since the last release.
Tracklist
1. Bullnose Step
2. Ex Voto
3. It’s Up To You
4. Flight
Produce | Remix | Share
Ninja Jamm is Coldcut’s music making and remix app. The intention was to make the world’s most advanced beat app and give it away. This has been achieved. Development of the app is ongoing. Jamm Pro, the next release, is out now. In the meantime Coldcut use it for live shows and making music.
More info at the website http://ninjajamm.com.