Patrick Sisson - Writer, Journalist, Cultural Documentarian, Music Lover

Mary Anne Hobbs: Wild Angels

Music Review
XLR8R
September 2009
Link
8.0

mah-9-24-09

Filled with buoyant beats, 8-bit shoot-outs, and pastel-funky melodies, Mary Anne Hobbs’ latest compilation contains everything you’d expect from the British tastemaker’s broadcast, minus her ecstatic voiceovers. Connecting different strata of bass music, Hobbs showcases some of its more colorful, glittering strains, including Gemmy’s “Rainbow Road” and Nosaj Thing’s “IOIO,” both breezy, neon gems. Gradually raising and lowering the energy level, Hobbs bookends Wild Angels with Marc Pritchard’s dark and desolate “?” and an unexpectedly folksy Sunken Foal track before signing off with Legion of Doom’s frazzled “And Now We Wait.” Following on the heels of Alexander Nuts’ excellent, stuttering Rinse mix, Hobbs manages the delicate task of balancing the light and dark, not letting heavyweight dub pull down her more airy selections. It’s impossible to replicate the impact of Warrior Dubz (her first mix for Planet Mu), but Hobbs curates an impressive overview of a scene she helped foment.

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