The Extremities

T.O. producer Fresh Kils and Halifax DJ/producer Uncle Fester connect for The Mint Condition, their second album as the Extremities. The duo craft lush, grooving soundscapes embedded with Fester's adept scratches, evocative of the jazzy sounds of Pete Rock and Large Professor. "Dial Tones" is a clever narrative woven by MCs Lushlife, Ghettosocks and Ambition, while "Get Gone Stay Gone" is a backpack all-star posse cut over an accordion-fuelled ska beat that switches halfway through. The vocal tracks are strong, but the Extremities' talent shines brightest on the instrumentals. The two-part "Mint Condition" is a silky cool-out joint co-produced with former A Tribe Called Quest DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad. "Lost Souls" will get heads bobbing, melding sampled horns and organs with live keys and pounding kicks and snares. Anyone nostalgic for the '90s should cop The Mint Condition for a dose of the soulful Golden Age sound.