ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS – ‘WE ARE TO ANSWER’ – ESL MUSIC, 2009

Ancient Astronauts are two Cologne-based producers with a taste for hip-hop and on the evidence of this debut album, the ‘erb. For this reason, the efforts of Kabanjak and Dogu to mix together late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop with dub and, on occasions, drum and bass rhythms will strike the right note with anyone who’s into the Nightmares on Wax style smoking music. To successfully create this sound, Ancient Astronauts have assembled a pretty stellar cast of collaborators. Although not all of these collaborations are totally successful – “Classic” with The Pharcyde, for example, never seems to really get going – there are a number efforts that help drive the album’s groove forwards. “Risin High” with Raashan Ahmed and the dub track “All of the Things You Do” with Tippa Irie, in particular, provide a great middle section for the album. However, the album’s strongest moments are probably Ancient Astronaut’s solo-effort instrumental tracks, including the drum and bass driven “Dark Green Rod” and the funk infused “Everybody.”

As a debut, ‘We Are To Answer‘ is therefore a pretty impressive piece of work where the big-name collaborators never overshadow the bigger idea that stings it all together. Although not everything Kabanjak and Dogu try comes off, their album is definitely a crafted whole that commands far more than one listen.