Equiknoxx - Basic Tools Mixtape (2021)

ngenious Jamaican squad Equiknoxx come with a class 4th album; a full spectrum mixtape showcase recorded between Kingston, Brum, Manny and NYC, with full crew on board

Involving the core of Gavsborg, Time Cow and Shanique Marie, plus Bobby Blackbird, Kemikal Splash, and extended fam in RTKal, Joey B, Rege SO$A, Storm Saultier & Doll Face Charmie, trust this one’s a fully loaded and heavy satisfying session. Following action on ‘Time Cow’s Live Prog Dancehall From Home’ tape for Documenting Sound, and the ‘Equiknoxx Music In 2020’ over the past year, it’s an unmissable catch-up with their inimitable sound, twisting dancehall templates into stranger forms yet to be properly deciphered in the dance.

It’s strong on the vocal content, but with plenty room for Gavsborg & Time Cow’s instrumental pressure. They make memorable introductions, where needed, to the breezy wordplay of Storm Saultier on two highlights, at best in the bubbling suss of ‘This Song is Not About Labelling Cables’, while RTKal & Rege SO$A keep it ruder on the drill-styled parry of ’Thingamajigama’ (title of the year!) and Gavsborg trades bars with Kemikal on lead single and standout ‘Urban Snare Cypher’, with Shanique Marie dripping sweetness over scratches by Swing Ting’s Joey B and a gloriously daft, Master P-like motif in ‘Uggh.’

But if you’re here for the riddims, run get their best in the sunny 2-step of ‘Basic Tools Live @ DJ Krush’, and find some of their most whacked out styles on ‘A Very Pretty Red Light’ and the heatsick wobble of ‘Was Not Initially Called Make It Stop’, which land somewhere between Timbaland and Express Rising. For anyone who copped the recent Now Thing 2 set and is wondering where to step next, this one’s a big strong tip.