“Al Haca collaborators Tolcha, Berliners hailing from the bass-obsessed Meta Polyp family, are part of a global movement determined to shake a polyglot sense of promise out of “urban” music by applying steadily increasing subwoofer pressure. “Void” channels splintered-wood glitches into a rippling dancehall pattern flecked with hand drums and Asian-influenced strings; in top form on the record, MC Soom T sticks to the low end of her range, weaving menacingly in and out of the tuned drums. It’s not radically different from Timbaland and Missy Elliot’s work from a few years back, but as club music goes, it still comes as a minor revelation. The buzzing, ragga-meets-electrohouse bounce of “What About Us” might be harder going depending upon your tolerance for its burnished, doubletracked vocal hook. Far better, the doubletime “Send Dem Kids to War” might be the only dancehall track that might feasibly find its way into a Justice set. Jahcoozi, Eva Be and Al Haca all offer remixes, of which the latter is the standout: uncomfortably balancing woozy triplets and a swung Schaffel-house rhythm, it sounds almost like one of Thomas Brinkmann’s classic double-tone-arm variations.” (WIRE/Phillip Sherburne)
“Techno et dubstep font bon ménage du côté de Berlin … Imaginez un mix de MIA, MOLOKO et Modeselektor, et vous aurez une idée assez juste de ce qui anime les clubs locaux. Comme leurs amis de Jahcoozi et Al Haca , que l’on retrouve le temps d’un remix, la musique de Tolcha se veut inventive et efficace, soufflant sur les braises d’un step roots et ranimant les ambitions de métissages. A mi-chemin entre basse grime et asymétries breakbeat, ragga electro-pop et R’n’b oriental, les épanchements mainstream savent se faire chahuter, plantant aux frontières de la ville le décor d’un chapiteau où se produisent danseuses du ventre, mc hip hop, tribus Shitkatapult, et vétérans de Transglobal Underground.” (TSUGI)
“Überhaupt zählt es zu den Phänomenen der aufkommenden Popularität eines Stils wie nun Dubstep, wenn die Grenzen auf einmal überall durchlässig erscheinen. Die Sounds einer lange existierenden Dub-Band wie den Berlinern Tolcha finden auf einmal Anschluss an einen neuen Begriff, dabei beackerten sie schon vorher ein sprachlich schwer zu konkretisierendes Feld, und sie tun es auch aktuell mit der grandiosen Download-EP »Send Them Kids To War« (Metapolyp). MC Soom-T aus Glasgow liefert ihre sporlichen Sprechgesänge zu einem Instrumental, das sich ebenso in jedes Dubstep-Grime-Set einspeisen lässt wie auf die große Neo-Electropop-Sause.” (SPEX)
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Tolcha vs SoomT - Send Dem Kids to War (Release Infos): Download
Family Business is pure Al Haca. The songs drift effortlessly between 4-4 beats and staggering offs, acoustic instrumentation and the signature Al Haca – Stereotyp Sci-Fi synths, while a world of nano Dub bubbles just below the surface. Cryptonite, Dial Zero and Citrus call for late night headphone sessions, while Family Business or Banana Split will rock every dancefloor and barbeque this summer!!! Alongside New York MC RQM, the army of choice vocalists contributing megatons of soul include Coppa, Oliver Grimball, Hubert Tubbs, Sandra Kurzweil, Cesar Sampson, FEFE, Patrizia Ferrara and Vera Böhnisch aka L’enfant Terrible.
Family Business is the first full mini LP installment of a series of 3 that will be released only digitally.
On July 7th it will be available on all download portals in mp3 format on the trailblazing Berlin label Metapolyp.
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Directed by Sven Häusler (Die Gestalten/Berlin), released on Meta Polyp (MP004) / from the CD-album “Tolcha – Gestalt”
The videoclip is also included on the free DVD-Magazine “SLICES” (December 06 issue)
XLR8R Office Top Ten Album Picks:
“The grimy, bassy, dubsteppy scene that exists between the UK, Germany, and parts left, right, and center, has been getting our juices flowing for quite some time now. But this much-ballyhooed disc from Berlin’s Tolcha is the current pinnacle of the community’s output. Guests like The Tape’s RQM and Jacoozi’s Sasha Perera step it up that much more with meditative rhymes about social ills that are as likely to start a riot as a dance party.
“Stunning. Every track a pearl!” (Mary Anne Hobbs/Breezeblock/BBC Radio 1)
TRACKLIST
1. the world is a ghetto feat. Rqm
2. gestalt #1
3. rising tides feat. Rider Shafique & Rqm
4. tomchak feat. Maxx
5. corridors of power feat. Neonman
6. gestalt #2
7. fokus feat. Rqm
8. bild zeit
9. ikarus
10. crushed ice feat. Sasha Perera & Rqm
11. gestalt #3
12. blckrcrd feat. Maxx & Noelle Poeller
13. damage
14. blessed feat. Ras T-Weed
TOLCHA website
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Day Break. If Herbert would ever think of producing a grime track, maybe this is what it would sound like?
This 7” is showing what Al Haca do best – defy genres in a way that make any audiophiles ear thirst for more.
TRACKLIST
A1: AL HACA “mind games” feat. RQM & RAS T-WEED
B1: AL HACA “day break” feat. RQM & RYDER SHAFIQUE
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Al Haca - Mindgames Press Release: Download
a future soul high tech dubbed out sexy bass heavy hitter from the producers of al haca and tolcha incl stereotyp rmx
TRACKLIST
A1: ÜTZ “Earth (the real …)”
A2: ÜTZ “Earth (the real…) Instrumental Cut”
B1: ÜTZ “Earth (Nothing but …)” Stereotyp Remix
B2: ÜTZ “Earth (Nothing but …) Instrumental Cut” Stereotyp Remix
awesome slice of digital breakbeat from the awesome hand of Tolcha who add slices of dub and electro to make something totally unique. the vocals from RQM sit nicely on top to deliver a quality package all round. With the Al-Haca Rmx this one is essential.
TRACKLIST
A1 Fokus – Al-Haca’s Militant/Rootical Remix feat. RQM+Ras T-Weed
A2 Fokus – Tolcha feat. RQM
B1 Damage – Tolcha
B2 Crushed Ice – Tolcha feat. Sasha Perera (Jahcoozi)+RQM
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Ebook: Download