Mandala Sound – Savannah EP Review

Mandala x Ghetto Priest x JabbaDub: Savannah EP Review – by Mr Topple for Pauzeradio.com.

Mandala Sound System may have cemented their status as one of the more inventive outfits to emerge in recent years, with their 2023 riddim that employs myriads of styles and musical oddities to bring the listener something special.

Savannah EP, released via Mandala Sound as a 12” vinyl (and available in the Pauzeradio vinyl shop), sees the outfit provide a base riddim which is infinitely fascinating for various artists to then bounce off. Aside from the composition and performances, the mastering is slick with some great attention to detail in terms of rendering the dB of multiple instrumental lines on what is a very complex composition.

Ghetto Priest brings us Walking Creation, whose composition is the riddim used across the EP.

It opens as a brooding and atmospheric affair, with slick use of synths as well as a dampened horn line and an embellished skank on the guitar. It soon settles into something more Roots crossed with Dub. On the former, at times the keys run a standard bubble rhythm across the mid-range of their register – while at others they double time the riff. Drums perform a one drop however the snare is engineered with distortion and reverb. Dzako’s bass runs a persistent riff (avoiding a drop-beat rhythm) and its sound is rich, rounded, and resonant – like a Dub 808.

Then, there are pleasing additional elements – for example, what sounds like a sitar moving in the background, a synth melodica (distorted with some pitch bending), and some well-arranged additional drums. There are heavy influences of Dub across the engineering – especially the use of rhythmic reverb. The breaks are also very of the genre – and the end of the track as the pace feels like it increases is inspired.

Priest’s vocal is fascinating, as he skips between spoken word and vocal – filled with dynamic light and shade and good use of phrasing to accentuate certain lines. Lyrically, he provides a pleasing sermon on moving through life as a conscious human – and the track is very affecting and engaging.

The JabbaDub Remix of the track is excellent. There’s no actual increase in BPM, but because of the additional drum arrangement it now feels double time. There are some brilliant new synths hammering home the Dub basis of the track – like spaceship samples – while some 80s throwback drum pads seal the deal. It feels like a new track, with the engineering compounding the sonics – and the use of breaks is quite inspired. Priest’s vocal works extremely well over this reworking – always a sign of both a good original vocal and the skill of a remixer – and overall, JabbaDub’s version is a proper remix in every sense of the word. Skilfully done, and a real listening pleasure.

Emi gives us Scared of Love. The basic composition is identical to the riddim – however, here because of the change of vocal compared to Priest’s you notice more of the intricacy of the arrangement. The chord progressions stand out more as they move fluidly through the track, switching up on the bridges nicely. The guitar skank comes further to the fore, due to Emi’s higher pitched vocal. There’s also a great vibraslap which was lost on Walking Creation, and a whistle as well. The synth melodica (or, on reflection, it could actually be a horn) also comes forward, serving as almost an accompanying vocal to Emi’s.

Speaking of hers, she has a pleasing and delicate voice that is rounded in timbre and sits in a mid-range soprano. Her performance is expressive, and she makes good use of tone and dynamics throughout. Interestingly, she appears rarely to switch between a head and a chest voice – focusing her vocal purely in the latter. Her use of note clipping and extension is particularly well-placed against the lyrics around spiritual love – or maybe she’s referring to God – which are impassioned, creative, and relatable.

The Savannah Riddim instrumental closes the EP, allowing listeners to hear the full composition.

Overall, Savannah EP is a truly inspired piece of work. The composition is exceptionally well-done, filled with complexity and intricacy while not being overbearing. The vocals from Priest and Emi are strong, as are their lyrics – but it has to be said the JabbaDub Remix is perhaps the EP’s most inspired moment. Stirring work.

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Mandala Sound Savannah EP Review Review by Mr Topple / Pauzeradio PR Services.