don leisure: shaboo strikes back
Francisco Espregueira
First Word Records introduces another chapter of Shaboo, a beat tape project created by Don Leisure (also known as 50% of Darkhouse Family) that documents road trip of Don's youth - hip hop music interspersed with Asian radio station jingles of old, dedicated to Bollywood actor, Nasser 'Shaboo' Bharwani - Don Leisure's late uncle. The first record was critically acclaimed and five years later Shaboo Strikes Back is a much-awaited sequel to the 2017 smash, featuring 25 tracks that make sense when listened in order. Psychedelic fuzzy samples and phat beats aplenty, Don Leisure once again takes us on a far-out trip across soundscapes.
From jazz to reggae, from the soulful to the spiritual, this time round Don Leisure invited a few special guests to join him on his travels - most notably Welsh legend Gruff Rhys providing the vocals on “Neon Drizzle (Hotel Shaboo)”, whilst acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid and Jazzman-signed harpist Amanda Whiting lend their talents to “All Praises Due”. Shaboo Strikes Back is a sonic trip through mystic cultures of music, feeling more than just a musical album. It’s a cultural portrait by one of the best beatmakers of the moment. Available on vinyl, courtesy of First Word Records.