The Otherside - Headless Corpse download mp3 flac

Signals MMX is a record label run out of Newcastle and born from some of the lads that put on the Road to Rimini parties there. Having hosted great nights for the last few years, a few of them have decided to spread good music to a much wider audience… not only to people capable of reaching Tyneside. This being only their second release, the label has already been gaining a reputation for something different and something special. Their first EP was a release from London’s ‘The One’ with the ‘Let’s get it Straight EP’ which contained a blinding Legowelt remix on the flip side. With this release, they have gone for something completely different. These tracks by The Otherside featuring Musa K, have been sitting unreleased for some time, and there is very little info of them online. ‘Headless Corpse’ is pure funk. Rhodes organ stabs coupled with funky guitar licks and afro-funk percussion bring to life Sierra Leonean, Musa K’s lyrical style, as he tells us of trouble and strife in his african homeland. With ‘Roadblock’, Musa K continues his story telling, this time its a slower, more hip hop and dub infused number. 12 minutes of funked out groove. This one is definitely my favourite on here. Both tracks seem to effortlessly flow between afrobeat, hip-hop and dub. Each track is bursting with funk and together with deep, haunting vocals from Musa K, it makes this release rather special. Oozing with style and freshness, it’s hard to think of these tracks being made some time ago. Here, the Signals lads explain how they first came across this music and the story behind its release: “Headless Corpse and Roadblock by The Otherside ft Musa K were first heard on a homemade C90 mixtape around 1996, made by a friend who had since moved away from Newcastle, the tape included the likes of KRS-One, Ronnie Jordan, Zion Train and Cypress Hill and like most mixtapes it was consigned to a box and put to the back of a wardrobe. Towards the end of 2009, following a house move, the tape was randomly selected for a car journey down a rainswept A19 to Darlington in the North East of England. It was around this time we were planning the releases for our Signals label. Upon hearing the Musa K tracks again for what must have been a 14 year interlude we were blown away by how fresh they sounded. Seeking more information on the tracks, a quick a scan of Discogs and Google led to a dead end and we could find nothing on The Otherside or Musa K. The immediacy of the internet means that tracks this good are rarely ‘hidden’ these days. Bemused and frustrated we contemplated remastering and releasing the tracks ourselves from this now well worn C90 when a chance meeting with the friend that made the original mixtape added a little clarity but furthered the ‘mystery’. Our friend had recorded the tracks onto tape from an Andy Kershaw Show session on Radio 1 in 1995, Musa was invited in for a session after sending Andy Kershaw a self produced album. Our friend too had struggled to find any link to Musa on the internet apart from an obscure and now defunct world music website. It seems his self produced album was co-produced by sound artist, producer and writer David Toop and it did not include the tracks we sought. We knew that we could contact David Toop through London College of Communication where he is a lecturer. David informed us that he had not seen or been in contact with Musa for many years and was unaware of the tracks in question. He gave us his last contact for Musa; a mobile and landline telephone number and wished us good luck. What followed was a few nervous phone calls and long arduous coach journeys down to West London. Musa indeed had the master tapes to the two tracks in question and informed us that they had never been released. After a few face to face meetings, trust established, he was happy for us to release both tracks.” With the two releases they have under their belt, the Signals crew are sending excitement across the scene. A record label that are ready to release truly different, interesting and exciting music. I can’t wait to hear what they have in store next. www.thisisourhouse.org

Roadblock is on that album but Headless Corpse isn't - only time we heard was from a tape recording of Andy Kershaw show from 90s - as story above - we had to find Musa personally to ask him about recording - still can't get over how good the tracks are.

Great release of tracks that have been unavailable for long. However, as we can now see on Discogs, there's a CD that came out in 1995. I bought the CD when it was just released after reading a review in HHC (Hip Hop Connection) but the album was difficult to get hold of even then.