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The Hamburg label Echo Beach is celebrating the Up, Bustle And Out's anniversary with an extravagant compilation. For over 25 years the name Up, Bustle And Out has been synonymous with music, sound experimentation, exotic places, and -- last, but not least -- a very specific mindset. The formation from Bristol are representatives of the first Ninja Tune generation, alongside DJ Food, 9 Lazy 9, and The Herbaliser. Up, Bustle And Out released their first singles on the label of Coldcut DJs Black & More and became a key act on the label's first compilations. The sound of the band, which comprises DJs Rupert Mould aka Senor Roddy and David "D" Fell aka Clandestine Ein, guitarist Senor Cuffy, beat representative Dave Cridge, and percussionist and singer Eugenia Knight, is shaped by the period in which turntablism and sample collages became the new jazz. The band presented their unique take on this direction; breakbeats of rare funk records, cuts, and scratches from the turntable, which back then were still the driving force underpinning club music, garnished with samples and Senior Cuffy's guitar. A preference for double bass and Latin American rhythms, was obvious from the start, running through the band's work like a leitmotif. But soon this frame became too narrow for the quintet, and UB&O started broadening their horizon geographically as well as musically. Up until then, they had sampled Bossa Nova and Cuban rhythms; now, though, UB&O left their comfort zone and traveled to Havana, Cuba, to pick up the music at its source. It has been a fantastic journey, spanning a quarter of a century and three continents; this ride is now being told in time-lapse on their latest release, Almanac. Field recordings and historic radio jingles add a dash of local color. Harnessing the power of disjointed jazz funk sample collages, elaborate productions in Havana's venerable recording studios, and travel snapshots of the digital age, on ten albums, numerous singles, versions, and compilations, Up, Bustle And Out tell a fascinating story -- with an open ear for the signals of globalization, hearts that beat stridently on the left, and always a step ahead of their time.
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