The Allies

Fans of turntablist collectives like the Invisibl Skratch Piklz will love this EP by the Allies, who, while less well-known, make music at least as complex and funky. There's nothing groundbreaking here, just lots of dexterously manipulated beats and cuts, as well as a generous helping of virtuosic scratching. The live-in-the-studio tracks are the most exciting ones -- on "Live Session I," "Live Session II," and especially, the EP's title track, the group's six members collaborate on rhythmically dense and texturally complex turntable rhapsodies that act as an effective refutation to any argument that turntablism is something less than real music. The solo appearances are scarcely less exciting, though; highlights include Spictakular's creepy "Gotcha Covered" and Infamous' cleverly guitar-based "The Anarchist Movement." A full-length would have been better; otherwise, there's not much to complain about here. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide