Toddla T - Skanky Skanky

One of the most eagerly anticipated albums of they year for us, Toddla T’s Skanky Skanky was going to have to try very hard to disappoint. His unique take on urban music has now landed him a slot on Radio 1, and has seen him booked for every major festival and club worth their salt, plus work with some seriously big names.
 
From the off, it’s all about humour and bassbin-troubling frequencies – the core elements of what Toddla T’s all about. Boom DJ From The Steel City provides a perfect intro – a game of two halves, hopping between stomping hip-hop and carnival ragga-jungle, with a little help from Artic Monkey Matt Helders on drums and Trigganom’s commanding flow. Herein he succinctly delivers his manifesto within the space of just over 3 minutes.
 
There’s not a dud track in site, and as much versatility as you’d hope for, all decked out with his phat, futuristic production style. Highlights are manifold - the hilarious dancehall riddim of Rice & Peas (using Mr. Versatile repeatedly on the album gives some sense of continuity amidst the myriad of other guests), the rapid-fire Manabadman and gritty electro farts and bass drops of Sound Tape Killin’ (both with the gruff voice of Serocee), Shake It with Herve (cheeky soca style riddims, “gyal shake it shake it, come on and get naked naked”)
 
His diverse palette is full revealed, and he sounds accomplished in every area. There’s futuristic R&B on Butter Me Up, he shows his reasonable vocal talents on Road Trip under his T Willy guise and better still on the 2-step paranoia of No Kip, plus plaintive, mellow garage flows on Rebel with Benjamin Zephaniah and Joe Goddard. He’s managed to cram almost every exciting new urban dance music genre of the last 15 years on here, mashed it all together and given it his own exciting twist. It’s like Soul II Soul for the MySpace generation, and we effin love it.