Various: The Wild Bunch

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * )

With a new Massive Attack album pending, here's the history lesson: a reconstruction of the 80s Bristol sound system The Wild Bunch, the crew which influenced and sometimes included MA members Daddy G, Mushroom and 3D. Of course these narrow-range, almost prehistoric hip-hop and scratching tracks bear no likeness to MA but the connection- mixed by founder member DJ Milo -provides the excuse to resurrect Sugar Hill tracks such as Crash Crew's On the Radio, Cameo's I'm Serious, Evelyn "Champagne" King's funky I'm In Love and lost classics such as the primordial scratching of Knights of the Turntables (Techno Scratch) and Newcleus (Jam on Revenge) which sound charmingly primitive and slow alongside the pace set by today's turntablists. Loads of disco round the midpoint, too. Kinda fun.

Label: Strut/In Music