Album: Sun People, Nickodemus, ESL / Wonderwheel

Producer/turntablist Nickodemus brings the world to his New York studio on this follow-up to the wellreceived Endangered Species, mixing up a series of spicy pan-cultural crossovers in which East sidles up to West and gives it a playful pinch on the posterior, before both head south to shake a tail with their hedonist Latin cousins.

In Nickodemus’s world there are no apparent boundaries, just pleasant play areas where one musical style finds common ground with another. As rappers Stimulus & Dionysos suggest on the title-track, “A good vibe implies a great tribe”, and for most of Sun People, Nickodemus hangs out with a decent tribe.

Whether stirring up a middle-eastern- flavoured groove, with heavy breakbeat and congas carrying elegant zither glissandi, as on “2 Sips & Magic”, or blending Indian vocal enchantment with rolling cumbia rhythm and dub effects, as on “Didibina”, his touch is firm but sensitive to the requirements of each piece, nowhere more so than on “weRISE weFALLweRISE”, where crepuscular clarinet figures float above a clockwork rattle of percussion, before a zither kicks things into gear. Best of all is “Sun People” itself, in which a delicate intro passage of flute, plucked string and African vocal gives way to a loping funk.

Download this: Sun People, 2 Sips & Magic, weRISEweFALLweRISE, Didibina