Sporto Kantes

A varied album produced by Sporto, which has all the breadth and smothering throbs of a Massive Attack recording but not as brooding and way more up-beat. Sporto Kantes has roots-reggae-style tracks, "Go" and "Buster," and beat-oriented material that's suggestive of early DJ Cam, such as "Mundo" and "18H27," and even some soul/Motown revivalist tracks, "Confused" and "Car Video." Track three, "XX Live," with its pummelling bass line and drowsy vocals, reminded me of Pre-Millennium Tension-era Tricky. For those that dig the Bristol sound, Act. 1 does it some measure of justice, appealing to a variety of tastes, and is a good series of tracks that would blend in well as part of an acid jazz set. The packaging is quite distracting, however, featuring a close up photo of a woman's naked breasts, and though I've seen raunchier covers, it still takes some getting used to.