Red Eye HiFi – ‘No Rest’ EP

Red Eye HiFi have got an exciting summer ahead of them. With upcoming releases on Irish Moss Records and NB Audio, festival slots at Outlook, Glastonbury and Boomtown Fair, and plans to unveil a brand new rig alongside Brotherhood Sound System in early September, it seems safe to say that these Mancunion sound boys are on the rise.

Having made their name on the free party circuit, and subsequently gone on to run a series of successful club nights alongside the Dub Smugglers, Red Eye HiFi manages to straddle a few genres whilst continuing to adhere to the principles of sound system culture. Their productions, befitting the dub-reggae tradition, consist mostly of manipulated and reshaped instrumental remixes of existing records: emphasizing the drum and bass elements of the track and stripping it down to its bare essentials.

Their first release this summer, the ‘No Rest’ EP, showcases a flavorsome mix of traditional dub-reggae and modern UK bass sounds. Featuring two huge original Red Eye productions, ‘No Rest’ and ‘Need Some Rest’, both of which have been smashing up dance floors on Manchester’s club circuit for quite some time now, the EP delivers on both beats and bars with original productions and a stacked double MC assault from Fox and Parly B.

The lead track ‘No Rest’, from which the EP takes its title, is a stellar production effort from Red Eye and features mic work from long-time collaborator MC Fox. His socially conscious, melodic vocals carry themselves over a bubbling reggae beat punctuated by a few sinister dub undertones. Chilled but to the point, Fox gently delivers some remarks on sound culture and respect with a flow that skillfully navigates the track’s syncopated beat. On the flip side, Marcus Visionary provides a rich up-beat Jungle remix that will most likely be heard tearing up a few raves near you this summer.

The second vocal track ‘Need Some Rest’ features dancehall MC and Irish Moss favorite Parly B, who reps the mic atop some fiery summer vibes. Red Eye HiFi are notable for their ability to cleverly fuse genres, and a quick listen to ‘Need Some Rest’ will attest: with reggae, roots, ragga, dancehall and dub influences all present in their music. This theme of genre fusion is present throughout the EP.

Released on Irish Moss Records, a label who take pride in releasing the freshest blends of bass and reggae and have won worldwide support through previous releases with General Levy, Tenor Fly and M.A.D (Superstylin, Groove Armada), the EP provides an insight into how dub reggae and sound system culture is evolving. With seven tracks in total, ‘No Rest’ is full of pure summer vibes. On top of two stand out originals from Red Eye, the EP is loaded with reworks from label-mates Marcus Visionary, Part2Style, Danny T & Tradesman, Dirty Dubsters and Balkans Hifi: delving the listener deep into ragga jungle and drum and bass territory.

Embodying the feel-good party spirit, Red Eye sure know how to produce music that makes you want to dance and enjoy yourself. Manchester heads who like a custom built sound system will be happy to hear Red Eye are holding a launch party at Antwerp Mansion on July the twelfth, alongside Fox, Iration Steppas, Chimpo, Rich Reason and T-Man. If you’re not in the North West, however, or maybe just busy on that night, then you can pick up your copy of ‘No Rest’ here on July the fourteenth.

Until then, check out this tune from Red Eye and Parly B, uploaded to their SoundCloud last year.

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