Mitchell (Ben - aka Sao Benitez and Mr Hermano) and Dewbury (Russ, of Jazz Rooms fame) are two Brighton based jazz aficionados who have cut their teeth as DJs and heavyweight vinyl collectors for at least a decade before hitting the studio.
Their first collaborative cut was 'Spaces and Places' released in 2002. Featuring the unmistakeable voice of Fertile Ground, it was an erudite slice of dancefloor business, winning feet over with subtle syncopations and cute jazz-funk licks.
This debut album takes the same approach: balancing musical depth and texture with plenty of rhythmic force and some incredible vocal performances, primarily from Billie Godfret, who has worked with Martine Girault, Beverley Knight and Don Blackman among others.
Though it's a well-worn clichéthese days to describe albums as 'journeys', the meandering, joyfully diverse and mildly psychedelic nature of 'Rapping With The Gods' makes the analogy loose its hackneyed connotations and come alive again in a spirit of funky exploration.
Speaking of spirits, the souls of the duo's influences - everyone from Leon Thomas and Fela Kuti to Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders - are invoked as they indulge their every musical whim and come up trumps pretty much every time.
Maybe it's the weighty blues-funk of 'Globetrotter' that you'll like best. Or the epic rump-shaking disco-funk of the title track the next. Or maybe the afro-house of 'Living...Am I Living' (featuring Nigerian saxophonist Bukky Leo)...whatever your favourite, this album contains enough energy, funk and sophistication to make your hips swing and your soul glow throughout.
These guys are experienced enough to know how to hit the spot in many different ways: let them work ya.
