Ammoncontact – With Voices

Carlos Niño and Fabian Ammon have long been fulcrums of LA Black music, perfectly poised between the jazz crowd centered around Dwight Trible and classic group’s like the Army of Healers and Build An Ark, the underground hip hop scene which grew from the Good Life and Project Blowed collectives and the heavy soul-beat sound of the likes of Sa Ra and Madlib.

“With Voices” is the album that Ammoncontact have been waiting to make – the point where the duo’s own loping, deep production style could be melded, as the title has it, with the voices around them. The results are scinitillating, a hip hop album bursting with spirituality and positivity and a unique ambience.

The guests that Carlos and Fabian have brought together sound impressive enough on paper. From the jazz scene come the legendary Yusef Lateef, Kamau Daaood (a writer and performer who turned down the opportunity to join the Last Poets in the late sixties, preferring to build something in his own community) and, of course, Dwight Trible, for whom Carlos was instrumental in putting together the “Love Is The Answer” album.
From hip hop, they bring together long-time collaborator Lil Sci (Scienz of Life and MF Doom cohort), Abstract Rude (Project Blowed and Big Dada), Sach (formerly of seminal LA group The Nonce), Prince Po (one half of the mighty
Organised Konfusion) and the Dark Sun Rider himself, Brother J (leader of X Clan). In addition, Cut Chemist adds some cuts to the X Clan man’s “Drum Riders”. And to round out the mix, there are constributions from Daedelus and Mia Doi Todd, who could be said to represent the more esoteric side of the music which has grown around the lynchpins.

But to list the names is one thing. To hear them bouncing off one another is something else again. Check Lateef, Trible and Prince Po on “Beautiful Flowers,” Brother J’s booming voice on “Drum Riders”, Lil Sci’s drawled attack on the title track, Sach’s ATP-esque abstract rhythmatics on “Into 777” or Ab Rude’s jazzy freestyle verbalistics on “Worth It.” In fact, check any of the tracks.

Nothing is forced here, nothing out of place. The guests all add to a feeling of unification which is rare on “producer” albums. This is Ammoncontact’s masterpiece, a record which at heart grows from their love of music and love of a city and is all about just that – heart. And a little bit of soul…