Hip-Hop

The latest releases reviewed

THE INFOMATICS
Kill or Create
Qniss
***
Dublin's Infomatics would probably have felt very much at home during that hip-hop phase when hearing Blue Note was the key to digging Def Jam. However, the crew's fondness for all things jazzy and soulful is more than just some sort of retro motif, and the adventurous, confident and often sparkling sounds underpinning such tracks as You'll Get By and Irish Times are testament to their sampledelic and studio smarts. Still, when it comes to hitting the mic, the Infomatics come a little unstuck - their lyrical flow that is nowhere near as dextrous or impressive as what's in the background. It's not really to do with the subject matter; the title track, for instance, fumes away quite happily about the daily grind in commutersville. It's more down to a lack of conviction and grit in what the MCs have to say. Once rectified, The Infomatics really could have something to rap about.  www.myspace.com/theinfomatics JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: You'll Get By, POP