Gaudi – No Prisoners

Of all the ridiculous utopian political messages, the most magnificent has got to be ‘one nation under a groove’, as No Prisoners reminds us with undeniable panache. Each track boasts an absolute stonker of a bass riff, be it the saw tooth house of Bad Boy Bass, or the virtuoso funk licks of Back to Baia, this is, to deploy the clichés, booty-shaking stuff.

Excusing the horrific pun, Oud We Think We Are places the eponymous Middle Eastern lute at its hypnotic centre, whilst No Time is old school dub. The nearest to a single would be Brainwashed again, if only because its stoned chorus refrain and verse toasting lend it a pop appeal, but that’s not to imply there’s a moment of filler to be found. The ill-advised yet somehow genius combination of bagpipes and wobble bass on Hotel Caledonia seals the deal; when it comes to the groove, Gaudi can do no wrong. [Joe Barton]