Upon its initial release way back in 1999, this second album ‘Keep It Unreal’ in many senses represented Mr Scruff (aka Andy Carthy’s) real breakthrough record to a substantially wider audience. Indeed, it went on to reach Gold status in the UK in terms of sales (representing one of Ninja Tunes’ most successful releases to date at the time), and tracks from it such as ‘Get A Move On’ and ‘Spandex Man’ made regular appearances on television and in ads – the continuing usage of both tracks on Triple J’s breakfast show being a notable local example. It’s also interesting to note just how much the surrounding musical landscape has changed over the intervening decade. At the time of this album’s release the spectre of triphop was still a serious force, its darkening edges increasingly smoothed out by the more cafe-friendly chill-out scene that in many senses consumed it. ‘Keep It Unreal’ saw Carthy shifting away from Ninja Tune’s established penchant for stoner-friendly leftfield beats with an altogether more accessible and immediate collection that showed him balancing knowing kitsch with a harder hiphop edge at points.
Today, listening to tracks such as ‘Get A Move On’s exuberant jazz-waltz meets midtempo house and Honeydew’s languid fusion of slow motion lovers’ rock beats, soul vocals and liquid-funk guitars makes you realise just how much his efforts paved the way for the similarly amiable likes of Bonobo and Lemon Jelly. Elsewhere, ‘Shanty Town’ offers up a sampladelic mash-up of whaling songs and big fish tales that perhaps borders upon being a little too kitsch these days, while highlight track ‘Jus Jus’ sees a young Roots Manuva in fine lyrical form amidst a jazzy backdrop of hiphop beats and stuttered horn stabs. The remastering job here is certainly an appreciable one, with many of the sonic detail being significantly clearer in the mix. The bonus disc meanwhile manages to pack in six previously unreleased tracks from the original studio sessions that easily manage to match those included on the album – see ‘Trollmarch’ for a classic case in point. While many of the contents here have invariably dated over the last decade, it’s the attention to detail here that results in a quality reissue from Ninja Tune that’s well worth tracking down.
Chris Downton
