Electro-dub meets hip hop – that’s how Bristol-based duo Ree-Vo‘s music has been coined, but we think it’s even more flexible than that – there’s quite a bit of rap, downtempo / slowcare here. Envision yourself lost (or found) in a sound combining the intensity of Tricky’s more powerhouse end, the high energy of Young Fathers with elements of The Bug, Lupe Fiasco, The Streets and Surgeon.‘Groove With It’ is in-your-face and more acerbic than Public Enemy was at its harshest.
T. Relly describes their creation here as “what I see in the struggle and ongoing battle, but also the resilience, humour, originality of people living in the system of seemingly two sides”. Their music is uncompromising, fired-up, rough around the edges and equally flies in the face of the powers that be and vile elements of modern-day society. You can also take their song ‘Combat’ as a case in point – their use of rap, electronica and rhythm wind together seamlessly, demonstrating a deep textural palette that also draws on club / house, dub and EBM.
Ahead of their album ‘All Welcome on Planet Ree-Vo’, which will be released on July 29th, the trailblazers have been dropping tasters here and there, full-blown sonic samplings of this long-player, which happens to be the duo’s debut studio album. Here we have 10 tracks that punch with a mix of red-eyed paranoia and playful future funk, plus buyers get a bonus limited edition 10″ vinyl featuring collaborations involving NØISE, Object Object,Dälek and iconic industrial dancehall artist The Bug with his remix of‘Protein’.
Last year, they issued a limited 7″ of the‘Spacebox’ EP with striking red original artwork by Shepard Fairey (OBEY) – not surprising since this release features a remix by NØISE (the musical collective of Joe Cassidy, Shepard Fairey, Merritt Lear and John Goff), along with oneby Batbirds (the duo ofJoe Cassidy AKA Butterfly Child and Aaron Miller). Ambitious from the outset, Ree-Vo also released ‘Combat’ and a powerhouse remix of this track by iconic UK electronic music producer Surgeon (Tresor Records). More recently, they put out a remix-based compilation called ‘Dial R for Ree-Vo’.
So who is behind Ree-Vo? No strangers to the UK music scene – this is a collaboration between Bristol’s Andy Spaceland (AKA Andy Jenks) and T. Relly. Recorded, produced and mixed by Andy at Bristol’s Christchurch Studios, known as the home of ‘Mezzanine’-era Massive Attack, this album was tweaked and fine-tuned during the summer of 2020. Heavily shaped by the local scene and artists synonymous with hip-hop and reggae’s cultural social commentary, such as the Bug and Flowdan, Nas, Kojey Radical, Rob Smith, Massive Attack, Big Cat Burns and Mantronix.
T. Relly is Bristol hip-hop royalty – known in the community variously for his links to all of the city’s major club nights, his passion and support for the most disadvantaged (through his work with the youth and prison leavers), through to compering stages at St Paul’s Carnival and his seminal 2018 album with DJ Rogue ‘Let Them Know’. He collaborates with many crews including Innalife and Killer Crab Men.
As for Andy Spaceland, having finished art school (where Brian Eno was his examiner), he became involved in bass music upon moving to Bristol, first with Static Sound System and a collaborative 12” with Rudy Tambala (AR Kane) as Sugarboat Vs Sufi, before his band Alpha signed to Massive Attack’s Melankolic label, whilst also becoming their tour DJ. His CV of collaborations range from Smith and Mighty and Horace Andy to Elizabeth Fraser and Madonna, having released music on Dj Die’s label Gutterfunk as White Bully. Andy is also part of 5 Billion in Diamonds with LA producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage) and is working on new material with Mark Stewart (The Pop Group), as well as Adrian Sherwood.
T. Relly says, “Our sound has the life blood of sound-system bass culture carried through veins of hiphop and rave. I describe it like that BCuz it’s a live and living thing not just a sound, though essentially it is Bristol Dirt. Both me and Andy, as individuals, have very different sounds but as a duo, the sound for me is totally of one, which is Rare throughout collaborations. The sound just fits. It’s edgy, consciously upbeat and fun yet seriousness throughout – such as life. This release has been a long time coming. Me and Andy met through a mutual friend and instantly became friends, when that shit happens the universe has already decided on something great happening. With that we never gave up on Ree-Vo throughout multiple frustrations, let downs and genre life getting in the way.”
‘Groove With It’ is out now… Stay tuned as, come July 29th, the album will be released on gatefold vinyl, CD and digitally via Dell’Orso Records and Southern Record Distributors (SRD). Upon purchasing the album, folks will also receive the orange vinyl 10″ (in limited quantity) featuring four remixes and collaborations involving The Bug, Object Object, NØISE and Dälek. Pre-orders are now available via Resident Music andNorman Records. More of Ree-Vo’s music can be found on Bandcamp atree-vo1.bandcamp.com
CREDITS
Recorded, produced and mixed by Andy Spaceland at Christchurch Studios, Bristol
Written by T. Relly and Andy Spaceland (AKA Andy Jenks)
Lyrics by and vocals by T. Relly
Music by Andy Spaceland
Cover artwork by Bobby Klang
Released by Dell’Orso Records – EDDA52LP/CD
Distributed by SRD
Artist photo by Andrew Busby
ALBUM TRACKLIST
1) We Go
2) Boom
3) Groove With It
4) Spacebox
5) Combat
6) Nu
7) End Of The World
8) Strange Noise
9) Protein
10) Dirty Secret
10″ EP TRACKLIST
A) Ree-Vo ‘Protein’ (The Bug remix)
Ree-Vo ‘We Go’ (Object Object remix)
AA) NØiSE ‘Automatic’ (Ree-Vo remix)
Ree-Vo ‘Groove With It’ (Deadverse remix) by Dälek
Explore the deep dark sonic world of Ree-Vo
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