In the late 1970s, singer Mark Stewart fronted The Pop Group, a Bristol collective that ferociously pieced together punk, funk, jazz, avant-garde and left-wing political slogans. After the band members spread into new groups like Pigbag and Rip, Rig & Panic, Stewart stayed most faithful to this sound on his solo albums. His right-hand man was producer Adrian Sherwood, who added even more
… idiosyncrasy with his dub techniques and cut and paste work. A raw, collage-like collision of sound, rhythm, dub and the primal scream of the unabatedly angry Stewart continues on Edit, under the direction of Sherwood. As if The Pop Group only broke up yesterday. An important addition are the old-skool hip-hop rhythms that seem perfect for Stewart's monotonous chanting parts. An anger that suddenly appears to have a lot in common with the work of Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash. There is nothing inauthentic or insincere about this album, but that truth can sometimes suffocate, whereby the listener is only allowed to breathe after closing track Secret Outro, a relaxed funk riff with Moog solo. (MR)more
