Down in a Land

Tango Records creators Tony Hewitt (Left Coast Selektors, the Unlikely Lads) and Hipp-E join 6400 Crew, adding to the existing arsenal of Halo, Onionz, Joseki, and Master D as if this were a tribal-trance Wu-Tang Clan. In actuality, just like the self-described East Coast hip-hop Camelot, it's not easy to hear much of a synergistic effect. "Down in a Land" is too minimal for something created by an aggregation -- the few layers of rhythm are laid out in great distance from one another, and it's too easy to hear every distinct drum crack and bass beat. The "Lovedub" B-sides are even more passive, though, with pangs of fatigue and repetition, like a Ninja Tune record set low enough to hear the telephone.