Ladies in the back have shaken ass for far less than a rap-song dedication, so it was very gracious of Star Slinger to salute these timeless movers and shakers on his new EP, Ladies In The Back, where every song is titled “Ladies In The Back”. The first lyric of each song? “This is dedicated / To the ladies in the back.” Message received.

The England-based rapper/remixer, Slinger, went to school for music technology and he experiments with diverse production tones on the EP. The original song, which features French rapper Teki Latex, pairs the smooth ambience of a Drake tune (someone Slinger has worked alongside), with a dumb-jock word grind a la Lil Jon or the Ying Yang Twins. These divergent hip-hop strands are further transmuted into an 80s laser-beam show (Jay Fay Remix), a pumped up Devo jive (Chrissy Murderbot Remix), and a slow jam featuring a creepy child’s voice (Nadus Remix).

The last remix, the Norrit Remix, is the most compelling one. It shifts the opening lyric to “This is dedicated / To getting my lady back”. The tone of the mix imitates the sparse story line. The main beat remains inert and off-track around the one-minute mark. The beat and the vocal alternate, each fading out in the other’s presence. Eventually, voice and beat come together. Man and machine get their lady in the back, well, back.

Essential Tracks: “Ladies In The Back (Norrit Remix)”