8 / 10
They may have cut down their name, but Tha Liks (neacute;e Alkaholiks) haven't cut down their drinking. "I've got kegs in my room and bales of hay", runs 'Barcode', "23 roaches piled in my ashtray".
Hay?! Even so, producer and turntablist E-Swift is turning Tha Liks into one intelligent outfit. Since 1997's 'Likwadation', it seems, he's been absorbing the alien sounds and uninhibited mindset of the most out-there Ramp;B, which has produced mad, fresh moments like the squelchy nursery rhyme 'Bully Foot', the quickfire 'My Dear' and the insanity of 'Promote Violins'.
You may not want to go on the piss with them - chilli sauce down your top would be the last of your worries. But 'XO Experience' is essential: oak-aged bling-wibble-bling freak-hop, 2001 vintage.
Tony Naylor
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