Young Manc. contenders DIRTY NORTH, like many of their generation (just like their dads and granddads once were, ahhh....) well attuned to the sound of Jamaican dub vibrations. Having also brought themselves up on a strict hip-hop diet that presumably also took in the gravity defying joys of MCing and turntablism and it's not difficult to form a rough idea of where group sensibilites are coming from
However, if you listen beyond the rough cuts and your preconceived notions, you'll find most if not all of the aptly-titled 5-track 'Know What I Think' EP has the strength in depth to lodge itself right inside your head.
Recorded at Salford's -6db studios with none other than ex Fall veteran Simon 'DING' Archer (most recently of BOBBIE PERU) at the controls and released through the artist-led collective Corporate*.label, the rough and ready mixes carry all the hallmarks of the bastard on bass's no-nonsense punk production technique. This amounts to 'live' studio recordings + vocal overdubs; an approach that underlines the raw power of the music
Front man Johnny Gregory must think in rhyme day and night as his is a lyrical flow born out of the sort of bouncing thought patterns that ricochet wildly off the inside of the skull. The anti-lad brigade might dismiss it out of hand, but there are skills aplenty on display from the group figurehead, especially when coupled with his guitar responsibilities
Gregory is ably backed on the microphone by drummer David Cookson, whose vocal input forms an even looser cannon that somehow mirrors the spread-out slowed-down skank of DIRTY NORTH's rhythm section, a combination of Cookson's percussion and Carl Palmer's authentic and deafening bass sound.
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The trio's distinctive overall stylo also manages to co-exist with track-to-track diversity. 'Standing On A Lamp Post' is Salford-flavoured lover's rock set to a beautiful half-step (check out the laid-back cymbal crashes!), whereas 'Take Me Away' is a harsher and distinctly more jagged blend of sleep deprived lyrical psychosis and mindless/repetitive DIY guitar harshness.
Gregory's autopilot skits reverberate in and out of gain-heavy guitar as the beats and dub-bass solos hang heavy in the title track (essentially it's the Benchill antithesis of 'Stand By Your Man'), whilst 'Fresh Bad Track' skanks out a gritted teeth-determined streetlight ode to council estate life.
Finishing with a dynamic live version of set fave 'Demons' that points towards a more than solid stage show, this might sound like a load of demos on the first listen, but it grows and grows on you as each play reveals more of DIRTY NORTH'S hypnotic charm.
*Corporate records are well worth checking out: I've struggled bravely with html in support of their cause!
Corporate
Dirty North can also be found on moispace musique:
Dirty North Myspace
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