Donae'o

"Party Hard"

BY David DacksPublished Jun 10, 2009

London's bass music underground becomes more labyrinthine with each passing year. Try googling the term "hardcore continuum," fix yourself a drink or six, and settle in for page after page of debate that can alternately be supremely engrossing or as pointless as watching a group of people shout "you ain't really down!" at each other.

Donae'o's "Party Hard" is positively ancient by London standards, but it's exactly what we here in the colonies need to raise our temperatures for the coming three months of niceness. If you're not familiar with the emerging "UK Funky" movement, this is a superb introduction. Though Donae'o is a veteran of the UK garage scene — so that gives him a decade of history — I'll admit that the geneology of this song is beyond me (save that the actual music was created by Torontonian producer Suges). His southern Caribbean flow on this track is a fresh breeze that blows away the wintry scowl of so many wobbly bass lines that continually emerge from London. To these grizzled ears, the tune bears a striking resemblance to the future sound of Ghana called hiplife, which is a fusion of highlife and hip-hop. If you're in Toronto, you can catch a hiplife showcase at Harbourfront Centre on July 4.

Donae'o's album drops on June 9 on My Ish Inc.

Click here for the original track.

And a more "bashment" version with additional Jamaican ingredients supplied by heavy hitters Capleton, Vybz Kartel, Danny English, and Rubi Dan,
here.

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