Gum Drop - Hi-Falutin

Gum Drop - Hi-Falutin image

Released 24^th April 2006

Despite being an integral part of the UK hip hop scene, musical chameleon Rob Mac has happily spread himself beyond the genre, taking in folk, soul, jazz and even rock in his various projects in the past decade. Having gained notoriety as co-promoter of the infamous Scratch club nights, with long time friend Matt Smooth, the pair decided to roll up their sleeves, hit the studio and commence a myriad of collaborations, most of which grew from their live outfit, Speeka. Since then the fertile duo have produced a number of offspring, including downbeat combo Jumbonics (for Tru Thoughts), Clean, The How, Imperial, and then finally production for poet and raconteur, Roger Robinson.

The Roger Robinson connection introduced Rob Mac to the Altered Vibes family. As a fan of the label’s output and open-minded musical outlook, it seemed the perfect place to represent what is, in essence, Rob’s first solo project: Gum Drop.

This sweet sounding venture allowed Rob to fuse some of his more interesting and vintage musical equipment with the cutting edge technology in his studio. The sound of Gum Drop, as a result, is that of cohesive contrasts; a collection of tracks that are perfectly contemporary but with a nod to the retro soul and jazz sounds of the past. "Hi-Falutin" is at once a listening experience and an assortment of cuts that can provide much dance floor joy. It’s nothing less than the archetypal electronic soul album for 2006!

Although Gum Drop is essentially a solo project, Rob Mac hooks up with a whole host of the UK’s finest vocalists alongside Def Harmonic’s front man Jason Todd. His ‘44 Magnum Funk’ tones start with the "Real" deep and strong bass-lines on the album opener.

Old skool dubby kicks, melodic chords and vocal la-de-dah harmonies from "(Keeps On) Burning" feature the folk-tinged recording artist Randolph Matthews, who Rob met through the Scratch nights, provides some soul stirring moments throughout the album. Randolph also appears on the first Hi Falutin single, the deeper and thoughtful "Sinking Feeling" as well as "Coming Up For Air".

The beautiful female vocals from Zena Edwards star in the hip-hop-pop "Now I Rise" before Jason Todd and Norman Anderson, sing out some R&B tinged tones on "Step By Step" & "Make It Easy" respectively.

The tasty instrumental cuts keep the funk flowing too with "Block Drop" & "Electro Gum", and Rob is assisted here by Matt Smooth on drums and percussion, and old pal Lucy Wilkins (4-Hero/Massive Attack) on strings; a trio that makes up the Gum Drop in-house team, as quoted on the little "Live Lounge Skit". Cool n smooth house music follows via "One Last Chance", as disco riffs and gorgeous funky house proves the diversity within the artist and the Altered Vibes label.

A sublime new London based outfit with a US twang, who deserve to see their brand of genre-defying funk do extremely well both sides of the Atlantic. Tune in, turn on - Gum Drop out.