Musical Youth’s infectious hit from the early 80s titled ‘Pass the Dutchie’ was one of those songs that consumed many hours of people’s personal airplay over the last 30 years. And just when maybe it was safe to retire that overly catchy chorus from deep recesses of one’s mind, Star Slinger’s full length album features a cut up version of the classic crafted around a vintage drum track with an extra emphasis on that most memorable melody. This is but one of the many highlights on Volume 1; a collection of sampled mashups and beats that are both artful and danceable.

For all intents and purposes, this is really Star Slinger’s (Darren Williams) debut and subsequent coming-out-of-the-bedroom party; Volume 1 was largely hatched with a sampler and a laptop by his bedside. On his Soundcloud page, he mentions thriving on the ability to make music at any given moment late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. The inspiration for his musical cocktails span across many different genres from Disco, R&B, Funk, Motown and Reggae all of which are layered over top varying beats of up-tempo, down-tempo, hip-hop, drum n’ bass and everything in between. The opening track ‘Mornin’ is a tribute to the Staple Sisters featuring an upbeat and higher pitched mashup of their hit ‘Lets Do It Again’; a bit of a daring start considering you are working with the voice and legacy of the great Mavis Staples. Star Slinger manages to pull off the track maintaining respect for the R&B soul queen while infusing the song with modern sampled elements. Williams continues to play with the big wigs with a slice-and-dice version of Parliament’s ‘Placebo Syndrome’ titled ‘Innocent’. Once again his respect for tradition is evident has he keeps the super funky horn motif in tact while chopping up the vocals to make Glen Goins sound like he is singing “innocent drug” instead of “in the syndrome”. The following track, ‘Bumpkin’, leaves something to be desired as Star Slinger tries his luck with a sort of 80s rock feel which is slightly out of place given the rest the album’s tribute to R&B, Funk and Soul. ‘Dutchie Courage’ is the aforementioned bold remix of a classic reggae tune created by children featuring socially conscious lyrics. While the remix version does not contain the social narrative, it is a fitting way to perhaps introduce the song to a different generation of ears.

In Volume 1, Manchester’s Star Slinger is accused of exploiting classic hooks and mashing them to pieces along side some killer beats. The remixes have a quality that respectfully updates the sounds of yesteryear while usually lasting only a few minutes so as not to overdo a motif. Check this album out if you have ever considered throwing your old vinyl albums in a blender.