Stereo Mcs - Set It Off, Video

Stereo Mcs
Set It Off
Video Streams
Graffiti
Released 23/01/06

Rob B and Nick Hallam return with the standout cut from the magnificent and widely acclaimed 2005 album 'Paradise', a deeply funky classic Stereo MCs workout in the form of 'Set It Off'.

Following a gruelling but immensely satisfying 25 date headline tour of Europe, playing festivals from Glastonbury to Hungary, and a rousing London show at Koko, the duo have been revitalised by the return to live performances, and it shines out of every nook of this single.

Singer and elegant band mainstay Cath Coffey provides the soulful backdrop to Rob's spaced out sentiments, and a languid and heady brew is the result as only the Stereos can produce – that instantly recognisable, immediately gratifying bounce. It's a call to arms against what life throws at you, an urgency to roll with the breaks and brush the dirt off your shoulder, and it's a genuine rule of thumb that Rob and Nick have lived by.

Remixes arrive from arch dancehall maverick MIA collaborators Cavemen, and Deekline and Wizard who deliver two entirely refreshing takes on the original. The former whips up a bashment flavoured, bottom-heavy vision of future-funk, and the vocals become a driven, marching chant that's sure to rattle the windows of their Brixton studio over the coming months.

Deekline and Wizard are in typically unabashed breakbeat mood, twisting the Spanish-flavoured guitars in and out of the mix, and laying down scratches and all manner of atmospheric touches to give the dancefloor a battering when the drop finally arrives. Futuristic yet dirty, it is a meeting of two totally different but equally distinguished crews that will have breakbeat heads in a lather for months to come.

With the band currently touring Europe, keep your eyes on the website for news of future UK gigs in '06…