To name an album ‘Paid In Full’ show the big courage Tom ‘Blacksoul’ Pasanec and studio partner Dejan Markovic aka PEZNT have as the evergreen Hip Hop classic album by Eric B. & Rakim of the same name surely is a huge influence for them. In fact, you can find housed up Hip Hop tracks on their classy debut album (the Nile Rodgers esque disco jam ‘Doin’ My Thing’, the mega funky ‘Bad Girls’ which features the unmistakable voice from Masta Ace and the slow opener ‘Yours’) but what you get is much more than Hip House. Peak-time House bombs like ‘Burek’ flow perfectly alongside more soulful outings like ‘I Need You Now’ or the Inner City influenced ‘Dance On’ featuring Andy Roda on vox. Even for friends of more experimental territories, there is something on this album like the midtempo ‘Be Somebody’ or the eclectic ‘Japanese Disco’.
On top of that, you get six remixes from the likes of Re-Tide, Man Without A Clue and Ghettoblaster to make this album an essential purchase.
All in all, it certainly is one of the best artist long-players of the year.
4.5 out of 5
Reviewed by MANNIX
