SLYBOOTS
WARRIORS ON THE SLY
ALBUM ARTELIER, RECORDINGS UNDER CONSTRUCTION RELEASE: JUNE, 2000 REVIEW: MAY 25, 2000


Trip hop has never been, and still isn't, my cup of tea, but lately I've begun to enjoy smaller doses of it. Slyboots isn't just trip hop though, but much more with a wide range of influences. Oldschool hip hop, reggae and innovative electronics are used to expand an already varied sound. Elements of contemporary techno, such as Autechre and Plastikman can also be spotted in the most electronically built tracks. But it isn't enough. The Swedish duo makes futuristic, strangely composed electronic trip hop and still, "Warriors on the Sly" is nothing more than audio surroundings. Pleasant ones, but nothing more. Not counting the cool bitterness of the opening track, "Block Music", of course.

NIKLAS FORSBERG