Mo Kolours – Mo Kolours

Half Mauritian and half English, Mo Kolours uses his cultural heritage as the starting point for an album of laid-back genre experimentation on his self-titled debut. Having been championed by Gilles Peterson, the young producer's music nods to mellow house, Madlib-style cut-and-paste hip-hop beats and traditional Mauritian sounds, introducing soulful vocals over sampled steel drums on Little Brown Dog, loping reggae funk on Curly Girly, washed-out nu-disco on Mike Black, Afrobeat percussion on Afro Quarters, and wonky pianos on the Mr. Scruff-like Other Day House. 

Many of the tracks clock in at under 3 minutes, meaning that even the blander moments never overstay their welcome - the most interesting tracks, which stray closer to the pre-beat scene LA sound of early Stones Throw, are never far away from the slightly more underwritten funk and house loops. With a cheeky humour, mercurial production and a surprising range, this is a promising debut. [Bram E. Gieben]

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