ALBUMSREVIEWS 6.0
Chrissy Murderbot Greatest Hits Murder Channel Ghetto gentrification
Now that footwork has been exposed beyond the Chicago projects by cerebral DJs like Mike Paradinas and Kode9, it was only a matter of time before someone smoothed away the edges to make the genre’s first ‘coffee table’ album. Chrissy Murderbot’s latest LP certainly isn’t footwork’s ‘Timeless’ — not least because it’s only six original tracks and six remixes long — but it’s still accessible enough for anyone previously put off by machine gun snares and hyperactive hip-hop samples. They’re still present on ‘Get Wet’ and ‘Slang It’, but elsewhere ‘Why?’ and ‘What Should I Do’ soften things up with jazzy keys, strings and soulful vocals. The remixes put more bounce back in, however, particularly Slick Shoota’s ace take on ‘What Should I Do?’ which cuts between lush house and frenetic footwork, and is worth both the price — and putting up with any pointless debates about ‘authenticity’ — alone. Paul Clarke
8.0
Walton Beyond Hyperdub Far beyond just genres
The debut from Manchester-based Walton is like the kid at your school who could never sit still, bouncing off the walls, giggling and generally having a whale of a time. But whereas that got annoying, the futurist, experimental energy of ‘Beyond’ is hugely endearing, perhaps because Walton’s brand of genre-splicing is considered and organic. Stripped-down garage, chunky grime, classic house, juke, rave and hauntings of UK funky’s ghost all sit together, happy as can be — nothing is ever forced or clunky. Veering from curveball mash-ups, like ‘You & Me’ and its industrial pogoing, to more singular vibes, such as the Chicago-leaning ‘Need To Feel’, ‘Beyond’ is the sound of a producer experimenting — more than competently — but having fun in the process. The result is a mischievous, precise hotch-potch, ensuring that this debut grabs the attention way more than most. Tristan Parker
QUICKIES
Electric Rescue Sonic Architecture Bedrock 8.0
Rock-solid sonics
A wide-ranging techno workout from one of France’s leading exponents of the genre. Electric Rescue shows he can mix it up nicely with progressive, melodic and vocal-led experimentation, but it’s the full-fat blitzers (‘Irritated Character’) and no-frills dancefloor wonk (‘Silky’) from this pro that sizzle loudest and longest. Tristan Parker
When Saints Go Machine Infinity Pool !K7
8.0 Great Danes
Although they haven’t gone to the same lengths as The Knife, this Copenhagen-based quartet have still distanced themselves from the theatrical synth-pop of 2011’s ‘Konkylie’ album. But whilst the sound might be soupier and more synthetic, Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild’s vocals still give it an ethereal sparkle. Paul Clarke
Thundercat Apocalypse Brainfeeder 8.0
Feel the magic
If George Clinton and Sun Ra actually had ever managed to work together, they’d probably have spent more time discussing alien civilisations than coming up with the kind of gorgeous cosmic jazz Stephen Bruner has on his second album, where the Californian bassist and singer channels the spirit of both into something stunningly spectacular. Paul Clarke
Dean Blunt The Redeemer Hippos In Tanks 9.0
Blunt, not James 7.0
Congo Natty Jungle Revolution Big Dada 1994 sound an’ ting
During the drum & bass boom of the mid-’90s, Congo Natty — a loose collective spearheaded by one-time pop-rapper Rebel MC — took jungle’s reggae and dancehall elements and cranked them up to eleven, layering 165bpm breaks with a glorious barrage of soundsystem bleeps, spinbacks, gunshots and ragga- fied toasting. Tracks such as ‘Police In Helicopter’ and ‘Code Red’ became instant anthems — and still regularly receive plays today, despite d&b having long since cut its ties to reggae. Although the Congo Natty crew never really went away — their soundclash- style live show has long been a fixture at raves and festivals — ‘Jungle Revolution’ is the first album-length release from the camp in a decade. Engineered for maximum heftiness by UK-dub don Adrian Sherwood, it works brilliantly when it sticks to firin’ junglism, as on the electrifying ‘UK All-Stars’; it’s less thrilling when sidetracking into reggae and dubstep. Joe Madden
078
djmag.com
Phaeleh Tides Afterglo Mellow tides
The soulful tendencies and jazz-flecked beats of Bristol’s Phaeleh have always, understandably, invited comparisons with fellow West Country acts like Massive Attack, but if ever proof were needed that Phaeleh is his own musician, it can be found in abundance on his third album, ‘Tides’. That downtempo Bristol sound is still a defining element, but the songwriting is stronger than ever and the more obvious dubstep delvings are gone — a positive thing, since his strengths are always in the melancholic moments and sunset melodies, such as on the simple, haunting ‘Whistling In The Dark’ and the crossover lushness of ‘Here Comes The Sun’. But there are some fine electronic explorations too, such as ‘Tokoi’, sounding like Bonobo at his finest, and the glistening, bassy ‘Never Fade Away’, which flirts with a jungle rhythm. By far his most focused album yet. Tristan Parker
8.0
Dean Blunt, aka one half of Hype Williams, is an unpredictable figure whose ‘The Redeemer’ here, his debut official solo LP, eschews standard album form and is more a patchwork quilt of sonic postcards that each evoke a multitude of memories and emotions. It’s a confusing and compelling work of art that oscillates wildly across the spectrum of modern day life and love. Zara Wladawsky
Neville Watson Songs to Elevate Pure Hearts Crème Organisation 7.5
Let there be house!
After true school house releases on labels like Clone, Dissident and Mighty Atom, and collabos with KiNK, Neville Watson delivers his debut album, a luminous set of midnight acid house cuts aglow with analogue funk and mysterious synth melody. ‘Rough Side’ and ‘Against The Tide’ tribute Detroit and Chicago, but in an inimitably UK fashion.
Strong.Ben Murphy
Taragana Pyjarama Nothing Hype Wyrd 8.0
Pyjaramas in pyjamas
Less an album than a lengthy EP, Denmark’s Taragana Pyjarama’s ‘Nothing Hype’ follows his debut long-player for Kompakt last year. ‘Beam’ is the killer, an ambient vocal lifted from a lost Vangelis soundtrack. ‘Touching’, too, with its oddball arpeggios and wonky drums, swells into an enveloping maelstrom of sound. Small is indeed beautiful. Ben Arnold
REPEATTHE LPS WE CAN’T LEAVE ALONE...
Mount Kimbie Cold Spring Fault Less Youth Warp Records 9.0
The Brighton duo’s second album was not so difficult.
Classixx Hanging Gardens Innovative Leisure 8.0
Leave your snootiness at the door for these disco- pop Classixx.
Jon Hopkins Immunity Domino 9.0
UK Mercury Music Prize nominee gets mash-up.
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