Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation (Black Vinyl)

Radio Retaliation, the politically charged fifth studio album by Thievery Corporation, returns as an expanded black-vinyl 2LP edition. Originally released in 2008, the record brings together the Washington, D.C. duo's familiar blend of dub, downtempo electronics, reggae, bossa nova, hip-hop and global instrumentation, while placing a sharper focus on media control, political resistance and cultural solidarity. This reissue is housed in a gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves and adds the bonus track “Philosopher's Stone”.

Rob Garza and Eric Hilton built the album around an international group of singers and musicians. “Sound The Alarm” and the title track feature Sleepy Wonder, combining dancehall energy with dense, bass-led production. “Mandala” includes sitar from Anoushka Shankar, while “Vampires” is driven by the unmistakable presence of Femi Kuti. Seu Jorge appears on “Hare Krsna”, and the record continues through Spanish-language vocals, instrumental passages and cinematic electronic arrangements without losing its central identity.

The first LP moves from the urgent opening tracks through “El Pueblo Unido”, “The Forgotten People” and “33 Degree”. The second record includes the dreamier “Beautiful Drug” and “La Femme Parallel”, followed by the compact instrumental “Retaliation Suite” and the rhythmic “The Numbers Game”. “The Shining Path” and “Blasting Through The City” lead into “Sweet Tides”, one of the album's most atmospheric vocal pieces, before the bonus track closes the expanded programme.

Radio Retaliation was conceived as a response to homogenised commercial radio and the narrowing of independent voices. Its message remains relevant, but the album works equally well as a richly produced listening experience. Layers of percussion, strings, sitar, horns, dub effects and electronic rhythm reward repeated plays, particularly across the wider dynamics of the double-vinyl format.

Pressed on two black records, this edition is suited to collectors of trip-hop, dub, electronic music and globally minded club culture. It captures Thievery Corporation at their most outward-looking: polished but purposeful, relaxed in tempo yet direct in intent.