mark stewart / the maffia & the pop group

Kiss The Future

With the recently renewed interest in the post-punk era (spearheaded by Simon Reynold's excellent 'Rip It Up and Start Again') it's no surprise that reissues and collections are starting to filter through the record company sieve, with this Mark Stewart collection the latest and probably one of the most exciting additions. As the main man behind sloganeering gobshites The Pop Group and later on Mark Stewart and the Maffia, Stewart has released consistently from the late 70's through to 2005, with his didactic message concerning redistribution of wealth etc. still as impassioned today as it was nearly 30 years ago. Opening the headache inducingly packaged collection is new track 'Radio Freedom' which, through it's dubby haunted dancehall backdrop and skewed hip-hop rhymes, sounds not unlike a leftfield production - an impression reinforced through 2004's 'Puppet Master'. First of the oldies (1983) is The Maffia's 'Hypnotised', wherein Bambatta beats and Coldcut samples are superglued together in a fashion that still retains a startling freshness and is followed by The Pop Group's amazing 1979 'Beyond Good and Evil' which, along with the recent ACR re-releases, establishes a firm DFA lineage. Elsewhere, The Pop Group's seminal 'We Are All Prostitutes' is all angular guitars and agit vocals, 'High Ideals And Crazy Dreams' is a PiL/Specials brew of influences whilst 'Dream Kitchen' is razor serrated electro-pop. With a limited edition set of Stewart's graphic design postcards thrown in for good measure, 'Kiss The Future' is a Retrospective of a truly pioneering character on the scene who seems more relevant in the current musical climate than ever before. Highly Recommended.