Bristol’s soundsystem legacy extends far beyond the reverberations of dubstep.
Sure, the West Country may be a citadel for half-step, but the dub revolution has had a far wider effect. Local heroes The Pop Group recently reformed, with the Invada label paying homage to their spirit.
New signing Anika is partly based in Berlin, splitting her time between Germany and Bristol. Clattering punk-funk is the order of the day, with the infinite space of dub allowing the singer to find her voice.
Somehow an early demo tape found its way into the hands of Invada boss Geoff Barrow, and the Portishead man was suitably impressed to snap her up. Anika crossed swords with the band Beak>, and the resulting partnership completed one album together.
Twelve tracks recorded in twelve days, Anika’s new album injects some forward thinking elements into the post-punk template. No grey Factory re-treads here, instead the singer pays homage to the true spirit of the era.
The distant echoes of dub spiral out of control, adding a sense of chance to proceedings which allows both Anika and Beak> to move forwards.
With the album out now, ClashMusic has grabbed former single ‘Ying Yang’ as a free download.
Listen to it now… Grab it HERE.
