ABOUT THIS ITEM

A London record through and through, "Be Strong" ducks and weaves to the myriad sounds of the city, as The 2 Bears Raf Daddy and Joe Goddard pursue the perfect party record.

Alongside tracks like "Be Strong", "Church" and the mighty "Bear Hug" - a pummeling treatise on the benefits of the peak time dancefloor cuddle - Raf and Joe mutate genres into previously unheard territories of dancehall country on the bouncing prison yard lament "Time In Mind" and garage reggae on "Heart Of The Congos", a track that manages to simultaneously channel both Wookie and early 80s Madness before placing them each at a system in the heart of Notting Hill Carnival at dusk.

Raf Daddy - aka Raphael Rundell - met Joe Goddard (taking time out from his day job as one fifth of Hot Chip) through a party scene that saw them share deck duties at the legendary Greco-Roman parties. Upon venturing into the studio in an attempt to replicate some of the records that they’d lost themselves in the night before, Raf found himself laying down vocals over Joe’s skipping, bassomatic backing tracks safe in the knowledge that they’d soon be replaced by someone with sweeter, more melodious tones. In the end, it was Raf’s voice that characterized and personalized The 2 Bears.

Their first forays in the studio produced both the sublime and the ridiculous. In the latter camp, "Mercy Time", a frankly berserk re-rub of "Mercy Mercy Me". In the former, "Be Strong" - a paean to everyone from Steely Dan to the Wu Tang Clan via The Beach Boys and the Art of Noise that’s become the symbolic blueprint for The 2 Bears sound. It was also arguably the finest house record the capital has produced since London X-Press back in 1993. A triumph, then. See you when the lights go up.

CD1
1. The Birds & The Bees
2. Be Strong
3. Bear Hug
4. Work
5. Warm & Easy
6. Take A Look Around
7. Ghosts & Zombies
8. Time In Mind
9. Increase Your Faith
10. Heart Of The Congo's
11. Get Together
12. Church

CD2
1. The Birds & The Bees (Filthy Dukes Remix)
2. Be Strong (Blakkat Remix)
3. Bear Hug (Cristoff Remix)
4. Work (St Etienne Remix)
5. Warm & Easy (Leo Zero Remix)
6. Take A Look Around (The 2 Bears V's House Of House Version)
7. Ghosts & Zombies (Brooks Haunted House Mix)
8. Time In Mind (The Deadstock 33s Dub)
9. Increase Your Faith (Daniel Avery Remix)
10. Heart Of The Congos (Afrikanz On Mars Remix)
11. Get Together (YoungTEE Remix)
12. Church (Midland's Sunday Service Dub)