Josh Martinez

Halifax's hippie hip-hopper Josh Martinez has been expected to drop a vinyl release for some time now, first with Anticon and later with Low Pressure. After a break from his other two partners, J-Mart finally gets his chance on vinyl with a five-song EP released on his newly imprinted Lucky Sweetspot Records - although the Low Pressure logo on the album cover shows it wasn't meant to be that way. The centrepiece of Rumble Pie is "Women (Loving Women)," a song Martinez seems very proud of. Teaming party-flavoured production from DJ Moves with Awol One's surreal and self-deprecating rhythm method was a long-awaited moment of truth, and Josh Martinez was just along for the ride. Perhaps the song is a little overexposed, appearing on the Low Pressure Sampler and Compilation, Josh's Buck Up Princess tour CD and Rebirth, Awol's own varied collection of songs, but it is also the song most people will probably recognise. Unfortunately an instrumental version is not included, but is replaced by "Outlook," a fan-favourite that has appeared on two tour CDs (Scribble 100 and Halifax ???) and the officially released Made In China. The three other songs - "Rip Rap," "Nightmares" and "The Deep End" - were previously released on Buck Up Princess-only, and are included here with instrumental versions. Production from Wes Bonifay, Sichuan and Jel, along with Moves on "Women" and WeStainPorcelain on "Outlook," gives J-Mart a varied foundation from which to spout his philosophy in a singsong flow, and makes Rumble Pie a fairly well rounded introduction. One thing's for certain, my pie intake has greatly increased in the last couple of weeks. Really.