Dance grooves have not always been the kind of music you associate with local albums, but Slice of Lime (Lime Records) helps to change that, because this compilation of South African talent is glorious. The Lime collective of producers and musicians, based in Orange Grove in Johannesburg, works well together and has produced a dance album with electronica, dub, trip-hop and even jungle influences.
The collective has come up with a sensual experience that is a good antidote to Gauteng stress disorder. The eclectic beats form a great holistic narrative best listened to in the bath or for chilling after a hyped weekend at a club such as Nexus or ESP.
Some of the names to watch out for are female vocalist Billie Starr (Only You), guitarist Goodwill (performing with Binary Dredd on the second track, Do It Again) and Zwee (on More or Less with its underground hip-hop and dub).
Techno comes in the form of Nexus 6 with their track Rhythm, which shows off their machine-funk agility. There is also a multimedia surprise for tech junkies on track 14 — the producers really have thought of everything.
This album is a groovy smoothie that is original and will leave you yearning for more. The website, with information about the artists and their music, is also worth a visit at www.limerecords.co.za.
Aftertouch: The African Reaction (Gallo)
African Reaction is a collection of different musical genres on an 11-track CD. The variation is made up of house tracks whose beats will delude you into thinking you are at the centre of a rotating dance floor, listening to the rhythms of a DJ on the turntable. There’s some soulful R&B and some clean-cut hip-hop raps. Whichever way you look at it, it is great dance music. — Dikatso Mametse
Various: Resident Evil (Roadrunner)
Grisly movies go well with hard rock and metal, with most films in this genre these days sporting a rough and tough soundtrack — some with less success, like the overpowering, irritating guitar riffs during the action scenes in John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars. But Resident Evil comes up with an impressive collection of nu-metal, industrial and even a bit of hip-hop. Slipknot kicks off with a driving mix of My Plague; there’s Rammstein’s usual German rumblings; Static-X growling heavily on Anything But This; and it ends with four tracks from the original score, composed by Marilyn Manson, switching cunningly between eerie and screechy and energetic and powerful. — Riaan Wolmarans
Various: Technics DJ Sessions (Gallo)
The Technics DJ school in Jo’burg has trained more than 700 DJs and now presents this double CD of vibey, party-inducing trance and progressive house. CD one is mixed by German DJ Caba Kroll and CD two by local mix master Speedy. “I’m so sorry … it was the sangria … oww, my head,” moans a voice on Chemical Sangria — and this collection is sure to do similar damage at a good party. — Riaan Wolmarans