ALBUM REVIEW


UTAH JAZZ ‘Vintage’ (Vintage Recordings)


Describing his second album as ‘Vintage’ suggests that acclaimed drum & bass producer Utah Jazz (Luke Wilson) has bollocks of steel. Surely such an extravagant claim — to suggest your music reaches the giddy heights of the classic before anyone has even heard it — is hubris of the highest order? Well luckily, ‘Vintage’ fulfi ls on its title and then some. Following in the footsteps of the soul- soaked, sample drenched d&b funk of its predecessor ‘It’s A Jazz Thing’, ‘Vintage’ stuffs in solid gold beats, sardine like, into its slender frame. ‘Quincy’ takes the infamous lick from Quincy Jones’ much plundered ‘Summer In The City’ and makes it into a hyperspeed molten soul scorcher, while ‘NRG ’93’ goes back to


the essence of hardcore, blasting hoover samples, piano riffs, and familiar drum breaks into the future. ‘Skyward Bound’ takes the ’70s symphonic soul submerged funk and slaps it to an Amen break mainframe to absolutely spanking result, while the album’s centrepiece ‘Take No More’ robs a plaintive old skool blues vocal and adds a spine-thrilling piano melody redolent of Sebastian Tellier’s ‘La Ritournelle’. It’s a highly referential listen, sure, but that’s when Utah Jazz is in his element, and the essence of the ‘Vintage’ project writ large. In short, this gorgeous, summery album will stand the test of time — ‘Vintage’ stuff, in fact. BEN MURPHY


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