Szajna – ‘The World Is Mental Mate’ LP

This week just gone Manchester-based DJ, producer and percussionist Szajna dropped his new LP ‘The World Is Mental Mate’ on Big War’s Infinite Scroll label.

Marking the first release in the label’s catalogue, on this new album we witness Szajna move away from the club-ready sounds of his previous productions in favour of a more rounded and meditated sound. Following on from his dance floor-focused summer EP’s ‘People Are Well Funny’ and ‘Moderate Stimulation’, released by Manchester’s Generic Greeting collective, this time the producer returns to the fore with a new and equally colloquially-titled LP that is packed to the brim with chilled out, groovy beats.

Available on a limited run of golden cassettes,‘The World Is Mental Mate’ is presented in beat tape format but embraces the high production values more commonly associated with 90s house music. Representative of the producer’s obsession with both genres, and equally the music that laid their foundations, he keeps things interesting with slick drum loops and interjections of deep bass that refuse to overstay their welcome. (Read more about the creative process that went into the LP in our interview with Szajna and Big War here).

‘Own Pace’ is a particular highlight with groovy bass and intricate, rolling hip hop-infused drum patterns taking centre stage. Following track ‘Lost Ma File Bro’ leads in with a strong piano line that rides the beat throughout, underset early on with clever drum work born out of Szzajna’s background as a percussionist, before moving into super funky territory on the brilliantly titled ‘Le Corbusier’. Other highlights include soaring opener ‘LA Mind’, the very funky hip hop-led ‘Browne’, and last but not least the effervescent ‘MC Break Up’: build on dreamy melodics and a strong walking bassline.

As a whole the LP, described by Szajna as “kinda half an album and half a beat tape”, moves fluidly between the influences of hip hop and house: capitalising on the use of jazz and funk breaks as well as referencing the sounds of Chicago and Detroit’s sample-heavy hip hop and house pioneers. Breaking away from the strict club-ready sounds we’ve become familiar with in his previous releases, on ‘The World Is Mental Mate’ the producer comes forward bigger and stronger than ever before with something that works equally well at home as it does on a big ol’ sound system.

Available now, you can pick up your own copy of the album from the label’s Bandcamp or Piccadilly Records..Take a listen to the preview of ‘MC Break Up‘ and check the golden cassette tape below!

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Keep up to date with Infinite Scroll through their twitter @scrollinfinite, and keep an eye on more music from Szajna through his SoundCloud page here.