Dobie

Another quality release from the always reliable Ninja Tune, this time from sub-label Big Dada, which has a penchant for scooping up legendary UK artists who can never seem to find any major label love, but are pushing the limits of what we like to call "bass music." Dobie is one such artist. A constant on the London urban scene almost from its inception, he's carved a niche for himself away from the UK hip-hop and skateboarding communities that initially brought him to attention with an oeuvre that takes its cues from the sampling culture of early house and hip-hop, which inspired him, but has a sound all of its own. Afrobeat, techno, Latin rhythms, jazz and electronica fly by thick and fast on We Will Not Harm You in a dizzying display that's both comfortingly familiar and wildly futuristic. But when all is said and done, it's a really fun record. And isn't that the most important thing?