The man formerly known as as Robert Zimmerman sang many years ago, "The times they are a-changin.'"
To which the author says, "Indeed Bobby, indeed..."
And so, with that having been said, feel free to travel past the thick air of smoke. Ignore the disembodied laughter. Let the limping litter languish on the floor. Proceed, instead, straight to the back room. Both rainy day women - proudly showing the numbers 12 & 35 emblazoned on their chest and back- are only the muscle. Doors must be guarded; do not be alarmed. Go past them without hesitation. Remember Prohibition is an absolutist antepast affliction.
Along with the 18th amendment, marijuana's criminalization will soon be a long term memory. For some inexplicable reason the short-term variety is, evidently, unavailable. Lo que sera, sera. Alas, at the time of publishing two more states have approved ballot proposals legalizing recreational marijuana; causing thousands of stoners, unaware cannabis can in any other variety, to sit upright and amazed. Now the tally stands fit at four. Tack on a handful of states with with prescriptions of the medical variety and it becomes clear: past opinions have lackadaisically been weeded out.
Never mind that these actions are questionably legal. International treaties, like curfews, are meant to be broken. Go on, be rebellious.
Do, however, pay heed to the advice below. With his first release in just about a month and a half, Dj Willicox returns with a public service announcement of sorts: Smoking kills. But remember that unpredictability is key. This MNJ/L.S affiliated beat-maker is not one to share tracks of recurring genres. A preference for house-type can be heard, but the Willicox canon ranges from batida to batuco to tarraxo and back. Perhaps the Dj at hand is not a taste creator. Instead, what sets Willicox apart is a fearlessness to aim towards the void. Rather than mimic what has been known to work, this third of the L.S. triple attacks focuses on maing sounds as of yet unheard.
What follows is not exception (but context is key). Clocking in just under two-minutes, "Fumar Mata" is a mid-tempo batida with a quaint rarity: of immediate interest is the introduction. While a snare-hi-hat kuduro beat carries the rhythm forward - ultimately becoming the rhythm just before the outro - the drumkit far from being the predominant piece of percussion. While the beat itself resembles the one used on "Patagoloiza (Remix)," a djembe is used instead. The four to the floor bass, like the vocal samples, operate to the contrary; both have been heard from Willicox before. Instead, ears are called to action. All attention is shifted towards the melody. More than an electro-house knock off, Willicox enlists three synths on "Fumar Mata." Yes, none is phrased is longer than a bar. Regardless, the result is more than than a tension building cause. Along with the inseparable sexual nature of experiencing the track's peak - cheekily acknowledged by a female vocal sample - all effects are used benefit the song rather than exhibit technical ability.
Smoking kills, but feel free to wait until after hearing "Fumar Mata" to heed Willicox's advice
- John Noggle
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