- There's something preternaturally kiwi about The Mank. The name might mean 'filthy, nasty and downright dirty' but it isn't some virulent trans-Tasman clap. No, New Zealand native Jonny Bundellu aka Mr. Boinkin has taken root in Nambour (sorry, everything just keeps on sounding like dodgy sex!) and is now pumping out beats, raps, reggae and dub in an Aotearoa stylie. Fans of Fat Freddy's Drop, Salmonella Dub, King Kapisi or even Shapeshifter would all find something to key into in these songs and there are just five of them on The Mank's debut, self-titled EP. It speaks to the broad range of styles that The Mank like to work in, be it hip hop tinged with reggae on that single Blow My Mind or reggae with a dose of bass music on Mr Boss Man, or the elctro-dub of Wake Me Up. That's not all they get up to, either, and it's not all down to Mr. Boinkin. On the Sunny Coast he hooked up with Danny Crumbs, who has become the drummer in The Mank, but also the head honcho at Mank Industries, a multi-faceted organisation that works as record label and production studio (recording Tijuana Cartel among others). I imagine that those studio skills are a part of what makes it so easy for them to slide between different styles, from the jazzy, dubby grooves to techy, acid squelching dance, not to mention giving them that nice, clean, expensive studio sound. On top of those two guys, you've got lyricist, vocalist and rapper Mesta, DJ Amtops, Saxophonist Dulcet and Christophe Langlasse on the guitar. In total it makes The Mank a versatile group with a bold and interesting sound, all on their debut EP. Not bad for a bunch of boys from Nambour and their kiwi cuz.

- Chris Cobcroft.