The Herbaliser return and, like the legitimate sons of the king banished by the evil bastard, they’re taking back everything which is rightly theirs. Yes, that’s the whole of London. Blimey.

Over the last decade Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba have established themselves as one of the most innovative and reliable production duos to come out of the UK’s hip hop scene. And this has been achieved, in part, by the kind of constant self-improvement which means “Take London” is their best album yet.

You can hear it on the instrumental tracks on the record – the tender, angry “Song For Mary”, the electro-influenced “Gadget Funk” (where you can almost imagine them dragging their old bits of lino out), the wah-guitared space funk of “Kittynapper,” the chase scene jazz of “Geddim’” and the epic, orchestral “Sonofanothamutha”. The attention to detail, the love of sixties soundtrack and library records, all mixed up with a dose of geezer front and b-boy charisma.

But of course the Herbaliser have also always had an eye for a killer vocal guest. Jean Grae (formerly known as What What) has been a long-time collaborator and here she contributes four tracks, including the storming posse cut “Generals”, future single “Twice Around” and the moving “If You Close Your Eyes”. The UK end is held up by Nottingham’s Cappo (who has released through Son and Zebra Traffic) and the one and only Roots Manuva. Then, just to finish off – and perhaps remind people how broad the duo’s taste is - a scintillating tribute to Serge Gainsbourg, “Serge,” with a monologue from Katerine.

Take London? Take the world, why not?

"Ollie Teeba and Jake Wherry concocted a Long good Friday-meets-Get Carter backdrop for a series of inspired raps from the likes of Jean Grae and Roots Manuva"
Mojo

"Take London is a powerful reminder of the Herbaliser's consistently winning formula. When two great talents collide, the impac can only ever be explosive. In this instance, the effect is devastating."
Undercover

“Their toughest yet, Ninja Tune’s most prominent hip hop collective"
Independent

“After over a decade in the business, the hip hop production duo of Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba sound super confident… A slick '60's London gangsta movie transported into a hip hop arena"
DJ

“Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba's sound continues to push boundaries, taking in as much soul, jazz, funk and hip hop influences as they can. Take London is a fine album.”
Blues and Soul

“The Herbaliser returns looking to do precisely as the title claims. Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba's new offering starts with balls and the type of confidence only long term experience of being at the top of your game can provide, so why stop at London?"
Clash

“Production duo Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba's seventh album highlights why they have straddled the jazz funk/hip-hop fence for over a decade.”
Musicweek