Various Artists - Back To Mine - Roots Manuva (DMC) album review

The Back To Mine series, allowing artists to pick and choose a bespoke selection of late-night head-nodders, is still going strong after 20 releases. Having predominantly stuck with a fairly narrow selection of clubbing "personalities", it's great to see more diverse recent mixes from New Order, Richard X, Tricky and Pet Shop Boys (who got a disc each). Roots Manuva is overdue his moment in the sun, and this collection showcases his inspirations in fine soundsystem style. Body-popping electro from Mantronix rubs shoulders with early LL Cool J and Wayne Smith's digital reggae classic 'Under Me Sleng Teng' at the outset, slinking classily via a brace of dancehall licks to Wiley’s amusing 'Going Mad' and a delicious Grace Jones-fed finale. Great fun, no doubt.

Charlie Ivens

originally appeared in The Fly magazine, November 2005 issue