Hometown: South Africa.
The lineup: Sibot (aka DJ Fuck) and Spoek Mathambo.
The background: Playdoe are two South African boys who just wanna have fun instead of "trying to express the archaic idea of an authentic Africa." Their idea of fun - ours, too, in many ways - is old school hip-hop and electro, with lots of samples and scratching, given a big, shiny, chunky, chrome-plated production. Gravey Yard is a paean to ubiquitous 80s footwear company Kickers that sounds like Dizzee Rascal's I Luv U chopped, diced and deep-frozen by Marley Marl. The Toxic Avenger mix of their best-known track, It's That Beat, combines a rude, lewd rap ("take a shit on your boss' car" - oh, OK then) with massive juddering beats and sassy female vocals that sounds like Miss Kittin breakdancing with Mantronix. Go Dumb Go Thick is a supermix of disco and funk samples, sleights of turntable, and a dizzying array of fast-cut references to everything from George Clinton to Rin Tin Tin that recalls nothing so much as The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel, that early 80s smorgasbord of sounds and snippets, with echoes of Afrika Bambaataa's jungle boogie. No wonder they call themselves "Neo-electro Afrobotic ethnotechno mamas' boys." It's sick. No, no, it's stupid fresh. It makes you want to go wicky-wicky and spin on your head.
We've seen Playdoe referenced in the context of "kwaito", a musical movement that emerged from Johannesburg with all manner of social, cultural and political connotations and affiliations. Apparently, kwaito means "angry" and comprises a mix of deep house, hip hop, African melody and percussion, with MCs shouting or chanting in the local slang Tsotsitaal ("thug language"). The so-called kwaito generation also have their own drug, nyope (a mix of weed and heroin), and have close associations with illegal train surfing. Kwaito the music, meanwhile, is meant to be an ethno-bleepfest, like Aphex Twin in Africa, while the duo are said to be influenced by early afrobeat, dancehall, ghetto-tech, and UK grime.
Now, all of this sounds really appealing, but a bit far-fetched and wide of the mark from what we've heard so far of Playdoe, although there is talk of tracks like Pop Like This on their debut mini-album - from Try Harder, the label that brought us Foals, Blood Red Shoes and Youthmovies - bearing traces of Casiotone synthpop and new wave disco-rock. Mainly, though – and we're not complaining at all – Mr Mathambo and his mate Fuck sound like feelgood, good-time, sampladelic revivalists. Great.
The buzz: "African noise for the ass and the tit."
The truth: They're doing for 1981 electro what the Cool Kids have done for 1989 hip hop.
Most likely to: Have an adventure, probably involving some wheels of steel.
Least likely to: Sound remotely angry.
What to buy: Debut mini-album It's That Beat is released by Try Harder on October 6. Download single It's That Beat is available from September 22.
File next to: Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Mantronix, Funky Four Plus One.
Links: MySpace.com/fuckplaydoe
Tuesday's new band: Gold Teeth.
