Nineties acid house legends, Orbital, release an epic new track, teaming up with Nottingham duo Sleaford Mods. Orbital have previously remixed the Sleaford song ‘I Don’t Rate You’ from 2021’s LP Spare Ribs. This is the first time the two legendary duets have worked together on a brand-new track though, and the results do not disappoint.
On the track ‘Dirty Rat’, Mods lyricist, Jason Williamson, showcases his searing lyricism. He provides the usual dose of biting social commentary that we expect from him, all the while being careful not to let himself get bogged down in his message.
He playfully, but so sharply, approaches topics like Brexit, immigration, Tory scapegoating ,and corruption with effortless wit, delivered in his clunky and lurching style which has become so iconic of Sleaford. All the while, his lyrics are accompanied, as all Sleaford songs are, by Andrew Fearn‘s crunching bassline, although this time, the bass is coupled with Orbital‘s classic acid club drum track and production.
Orbital, the brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll, recently regrouped with 2018’s album Monsters Exist, but it has been a long time since their acid house rave heyday. This collaboration, however, seems grounded in the roots of how they came to be in the 90’s, merging expertly with Sleaford’s harsh lyricism and wordplay. This duality creates, at once, a song that is both profoundly danceable and yet piercingly cynical of our times.
You can read The Mancunion‘s interview with Sleaford Mods here.
You can catch up with the latest news from Sleaford Mods on their official website here.
