Rating: NNNN
Maintaining a stealthy low profile somewhere in the Los Angeles no-man’s land between the Good Life hiphop scene, the Build An Ark spiritual jazz community and Sa Ra’s future soul clique, the AmmonContact project of Fabian Ammon and Carlos Niöo always seemed to be ironically named. But on their latest work, With Voices, they rectify the problem by sharing their sweet-ass beats with a superb cast of local scene stars like saxophone colossus Yusef Lateef, Nigerian master musician Najite Agindotan, singer Dwight Trible, DJ/producer Cut Chemist, rappers Abstract Rude, Organized Konfusion’s Prince Po, X-Clan’s Brother J, old-school poet Kamau Daaood and new-school fire-breather Imi-uswi. Even genre-busters Mia Doi Todd and Daedelus show up for the party, and With Voices really is a celebration of the connected Los Angeles underground on the rise.
