Altsounds - Ninjah - I Bless The Day I Found You

Anyone who has gone walking through the Cardiff city centre in the last few years is familiar with the rhythmical beating they sometimes hear. If you have had the honour of seeing the origin of this sound, then you know who Ninjah is. He told a friend of mine once that in the early hours of the morning he bent the axis of the Earth. He is a local Cardiff legend, with people convinced he is either off his rocker or some kind of prophet. The tall, dreadlocked drummer has produced an album with local label Booby Trap Records, and is more than just drum sticks on bins.

I popped the CD into iTunes and was surprised to see it labelled under the “Gospel and Religious” genre. The sound is more reggae with drum n bass overtones, but after a listen, I can see how it ended up under this label. However, I always thought it was a given that reggae was spiritual, which Ninjah’s music certainly is. Either way, don’t let this throw you. It seems the album is not bogged down with religious overtones (in fact, I didn’t hear any in my first few listens) and he even titled a song “Cymru Girls” to pay tribute to his Welsh ladies. In another song, “UK Mafia”, the chanting sound of British cities and subsequent broken lyrics reminds me a bit of the style of Saul Williams’ spoken poetry to music, sans the political message.

I always like albums that sound like one continuous song. Especially the ones that are a bit dancy. These are the kind of CDs that I like to put on at parties and just let run, so I can be free to chat and not DJ the entire night. The heavy bass tones and drums make it very danceable and the sound would be very at home in a club atmosphere. Most of the songs have a very dark atmosphere about them, but it suits his deep voice well.

I was a bit surprised that I really genuinely enjoyed it. Reggae/Drum n Bass is not my typical genre of music, but I found myself really enjoying it and tapping my foot. Well worth a listen whether you are a Cardiff-native, or just curious (which you certainly should be…)!
www.myspace.com/ninjahjones
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