Rough & Dirty
Richard Sen
| Formats | Tracks | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download Single (MP3) | 2 tracks | £1.50 | |
| Download Single (FLAC) | 2 tracks | £1.50 |
Description
Richard Sen - Rough & Dirty
The name Richard Sen should be familiar to you all as half of the inimitable Bronx Dogs, an esteemed graffitti artist and best new DJ of the year at the Muzik awards of 1998.
After building his reputation from classic Bronx Dogs tunes such as “Tribute to Jazzy Jay” right up to this year’s remarkable Marble Bar album “Enviro” Richard thought it was time to spend some time away from his partner Paul Eve (former Wiseguy with Touché) and venture out as a solo artist. After already releasing the Bronx Dogs “And The Letters Spell?” on the Battlecreek ep, Illicit Recordings were happy to receive his goods.
The a side “Rough & Dirty” is a great example of what Richard is renowned for. A funky breakbeat track with a dark shade of old school electro that will be moving the coolest dancefloors across the country. A faultless mix of breaks and beats by a master of his trade.
The aa side might be a surprise to some Illicit fans being more deep house than break beat, but what a welcome surprise! Richard has surpassed himself with this dark and moody house track that has an almost sleazy, seedy quality to it : perfectly suiting it’s title of “London After Midnight”. A mailout of 5 test pressings immediately resulted in an excited phonecall from Craig Richards who has been using this as a staple of his main sets at Fabric. An interesting outcome which illustrates not only Richard Sen’s diversity of talent but that of Illicit Recordings too.
After building his reputation from classic Bronx Dogs tunes such as “Tribute to Jazzy Jay” right up to this year’s remarkable Marble Bar album “Enviro” Richard thought it was time to spend some time away from his partner Paul Eve (former Wiseguy with Touché) and venture out as a solo artist. After already releasing the Bronx Dogs “And The Letters Spell?” on the Battlecreek ep, Illicit Recordings were happy to receive his goods.
The a side “Rough & Dirty” is a great example of what Richard is renowned for. A funky breakbeat track with a dark shade of old school electro that will be moving the coolest dancefloors across the country. A faultless mix of breaks and beats by a master of his trade.
The aa side might be a surprise to some Illicit fans being more deep house than break beat, but what a welcome surprise! Richard has surpassed himself with this dark and moody house track that has an almost sleazy, seedy quality to it : perfectly suiting it’s title of “London After Midnight”. A mailout of 5 test pressings immediately resulted in an excited phonecall from Craig Richards who has been using this as a staple of his main sets at Fabric. An interesting outcome which illustrates not only Richard Sen’s diversity of talent but that of Illicit Recordings too.
Reviews
DJTaking time out from his Bronx Dogs alter ego, Richard Sen does a bit of moonlighting under his own name on the ever excellent Illicit Recordings. ‘Rough & Dirty’ could be describing a number of things, but to give Richard the benefit of the doubt let’s assume he was talking about the rough edged electro funk of the track. Built around a punchy break and rolling b-line, ‘Rough & Dirty’ slides into Detroit territory with smooth melodies and haunting keys. The flip offers a wicked house track, making this a twelve well worth picking up 4.5/5
Etronik
Richard Sen was always one of the UK’s more inventive DJ/Producers, a talent who could turn his hand to anything from hip-hop to house and disco to breaks. Having parted ways with his former Bronx Dogs collaborator, Paul Eve, ‘Rough & Dirty’, is one of Richard’s first solo releases. While the deep and twisted house of ‘London After Midnight’ shows his ability to put together quality 4/4 tracks, it’s really the title track that stands out; robust live breaks are complemented by funky drums, weird vocal samples and a menacing electro undercurrent. It’s good to have him back.
Ministry
A tough percussive houser that adds refreshing elements to any breakbeat mix. The layered textures and smooth strings are reminiscent of something that even Nu Groove would have released. 8/10
Mixmag
Continuing his series of jams recreating the sound of the Big Apple, the sometime Bronx Dog wires up Arthur Baker-style electro, the occasional sample and a groove which won’t change the world but will keep the attention for long enough. On ‘London After Midnight’, Sen discovers his inner deep houser. 3/5
Wax
I’ve always been really into where Richard Sen has been coming from in both his productions and his Djing sets, and this his first release on Illicit has all those funky trademarks. The lead track has loads of old school funk vibes, yet it’s backed by tekky pads and deep sound beds. The flip heads down the deep house path, in an overall very competent EP.