Jason Cohen (Laidback) has had a close relationship with the Bolshi label ever since he produced the imprints first release, the eponymous 'Laidback' EP. A chunky slice of hip-hop fuelled breakbeat, the four-tracker revealed his old school hip hop and electro roots which have shown through in almost all of his work since.
This second full length carries all of Cohen's signatures, not only his urban roots, but also his knack of building cone-busting breakbeat, finding good samples, his way with a catchy song, his singing and scratching skills and, last but not least, his wry sense of humour.
'Frequency Delinquency' is a good title for an album that contains at it's heart a two-fingered rebelliousness and barely-concealed addiction to bass. Opener 'Delinquency…Can't Stop' gives the album it's inevitably feisty kickstart, but from thereon in it's hard to predict the next style.
Utilizing an array of vocalists (Surreal Madrid, The Method, G.I. and Wonder, Sir Real, Superdove, Stacey Jay), Cohen brings with a range of urban flavours, indulging in upbeat downtempo ('One Million Dollars'), amusing pop songs ('DJ Groupie'), dirty electro-house ('Bass Is A Drug'), soulful slack-rap ('Heavy') and of course blistering breakbeat like the ragga tinged 'Smokin' The Teacher' and 'Blam', and the floor-wrecking 'Living On The Edge' and 'What To Work'.
It's nice to hear a producer experimenting confidently with so many styles, and with it's steady and heady mix of streetwise funk and entertaining pop, 'Frequency Delinquency' will appeal to the funky, twisted child hidden in all of us.
