Carving out a sound and style all their own, Baba Ali and Jules Born aka Voices Of
Black are a pair of industrious and generous creative spirits just as likely to deliver their wares via free mixtapes as release on family labels Wolf + Lamb and Double Standard. After a self-release debut came ‘Plastic Dolls’ on Wolf + Lamb in 2011 - a concept album mixing astute influences with youthful experimentation. Ever since, the VOB sound has continued to evolve with soulful musicality and languid lyrical candour, the beautifully cohesive ‘Her Flower EP’ featuring Rap Lisa on W+L last year a testament to their charisma. If you’re familiar with the New Jersey duo by now then chances are you’ll know a VOB track when you hear one. Original yet with an ability to transport you with that familiar warmth, next single ‘Atom Bomb’ has an instantly off kilter feel. A distorted, dreamy 80s melody fused with a funked up disco riff building up to a shower of effervescing synths and a rich sonic backdrop. Marcy residents No Regular Play deliver a housier arrangement on the flip with a quirky synth-laden groove that effortlessly complements the original and hooks you from the start. Trippiness courtesy of the amazingly talented John Camp’s live arpeggiator, NRP’s classic mid-point breakdown of soul-melting keys,and the unmistakable muted tones of Greg Paulus’s trumpet result in a compelling rework.