Various Artists – Solos In Stereo II (Solos)

Since being formed back in 2003 by Bay Area producers Roche and DJ Enso, the San Francisco-based Solos label has amassed an impressive roster of artists, and this second instalment in their ongoing ‘Solos In Stereo’ compilation series acts as an overview, with appearances from all seven artists currently signed to the label, as well as Rhode Island duo Javelin and Chicago’s Pugzly Atoms and Wes Restless. As you’d expect, the flavour here predominantly leans towards MCs and hiphop-centred beats throughout the 14 tracks assembled here, though there’s certainly some intriguing house and electro oriented sidesteps to be enjoyed along the way. After opening with Yao’s spectacular intro offering ‘Rebirth Of Rebirth’, which smoothly blends lush soul vibes with rough, beatboxed vocals and ticking drum machine snares, Javelin’s ‘I’m A Kidputer’ instead opts for a twisted glam-rock / distorted electro hybrids, fusing crazed vocals and samples with stinging overdriven guitars and the sorts of thumping drums you’d normally associate with Gary Glitter. It’s typical of the sorts of unexpected stylistic shifts on offer here, with CB Radio’s ‘Muevete’ offering a refreshing digression into minimalistic techno atmospheres, that fuses Latin pop vocals with the steady clank of 808s in a moment that sits somewhere between CSS and Carl Craig, before Bookworms’ ‘One Mo’ Gin’ edges closer to the sort of territory currently occupied by Spank Rock and Roche even manages to work a riff on Joy Division’s ‘She’s Lost Control’ in amongst the crunching distorted digi-hop beats of his own bass-throbbing ‘Dashing.’ Nice. An impressive collection from Solos that represents the perfect intro point for those previously unfamiliar with this eclectic SF-based label.