Reviews

★★★★☆

When Philadelphia beat maker/producer RJD2 released his 2002 debut album, Deadringer, on El-P’s Definitive Jux label, it was hailed as an instant classic, an Endtroducing for Def Jukies that not only showed the power of instrumental hip-hop but that it had heart and soul running through it. Since the release of this seminal debut RJD2 has kept more than busy, producing for artists as varied as Cage, MF Doom (under his Viktor Vaughan alias), Murs and Jack Penate and remixing the likes of Massive Attack and Yo La Tengo. Then there’s his work as Soul Position (his duo with rapper Blueprint), among many other projects. Add to this the fact that he has also released another eight albums — either solo or collaborations with other artists — and he has been somewhat prolific. While the rest of his work range in quality from good to excellent, none have really had quite the same impact as Deadringer — until Dame Fortune.

While it is unfair to compare the two albums as such — and this is at no offence to all his other albums — but it seems as though Dame Fortune is the natural successor to Deadringer — the Stillmatic to that album’s Illmatic if you will — in terms of vibe, feeling and that all important mixture of heart and soul.

Dame Fortune kicks off with the eerie synths that morph into something more powerful on “A Portal Inward.” From there you are taken on a journey that ranges from euphoric to heartbreaking and everywhere in between. The skittery but energetic beats of “The Roaming Hoard” give way to the Jordan Brown fronted soulful wonder “Peace Of What,” a Main Source sampling monster of a song that sounds uplifting, haunting and massive all at the same time. It’s precisely here that you know that you are listening to something special. In fact, there is not a weak track on Dame Fortune. From the wholesome funk of “The Sheboygan Left” to the beat heavy “A New Theory” to the passionate “We Come Alive” featuring Son Little to the gigantic sounds of “Your Nostalgic Heart And Lung,” which sounds like how a meeting between Warp alumni Hudson Mohawke and Rustie would sound, there is simply not a misstep on the entire album.

It is best to devour this masterpiece whole in one sitting but there are three tracks that deserve special mention as they are all brilliant songs full of an emotion that can’t be faked: the heartbreaking but ultimately inspiring “Up In The Clouds” (a song that features a stunning verse from Soul Position partner Blueprint); the Phonte Coleman from Little Brother guesting on “Saboteur,” a beautifully stirring song that can’t help but put a smile on your face; and the sublime “PF, Day One,” a graceful string led track inspired by the tragic shooting of Michael Brown. All three of these songs are emotional, anthemic and stand out on an album packed full of highlights. When the final strains of album closer “Portals Outward” ring out, you want to hear it again immediately.

You can’t say that Dame Fortune is a return to form for RJD2 but this is an album that is sublime, eclectic, triumphant, heartfelt and simply wonderful. Dame Fortune is an album with a hip-hop heart and an emotive soul that you will just want to play again and again.

★★★★★

HÆLOS’ exceptional cover of The Beloved’s 1989 classic “The Sun Rising” was one of 2015’s best musical moments. The London trio’s interpretation of the heady alt-dance classic conversely used somber vocals, cracking breakbeats and harrowing sirens to transcend the song’s original tenet, accomplishing the Herculean task of embellishing the sublime original and hinting at a singular aesthetic. HÆLOS provided a deeper glimpse into their ethos on the Earth Not Above EP, an introspective and enthralling four-song effort. Musically, it referenced Bristol trip-hop and downtempo — a common thread woven into the fabric of their sound — but presented a blueprint of a prodigious sound all their own.

The triumvirate’s meteoric ascent brings them to their full-length debut, Full Circle, a compelling, often heart-wrenching exploration of life and love. While electronic music typically pays short shrift to lyrics and emotions beyond happiness and lust, HÆLOS sketch wrenching vignettes and wear their heart on their sleeves.

It’s only fitting that opening track “Intro/Spectrum” uses an excerpt from a talk by the late great philosopher Alan Watts to put forward their mission statement (“We know that from time to time there arise among human beings, people who seem to excude love as naturally as the sun gives out heat….”). With its cosmic romanticism the head-nodder “Dust” is particularly emotive (“I can’t feel enough / To kill this wasted love”) and satisfying. On “Alone” their protagonists embrace plaintive optimism (“I won’t lie to you because I know what love is / And that’s why ours is good”) over a slow boil of boom-bap, euphoric pads and shimmering guitar melodies. HÆLOS’ self-introspection isn’t all gloomy as evidenced on the anthemic “Pray” (“When all the hope fades around / raise your soul from dusty ground”) which sounds rife with optimism. While sad songs say so much on Full Circle, the threesome let it all hang out on “Oracle,” where they take a left turn into the pulsating beat of the night club and dance like nobody’s watching.

Full Circle is an evocative statement by a band who, like so many of us, are looking to become more comfortable in their own skin. Drawing from the past and within to inform the present, they’ve managed to produce a debut album that’s as cathartic as it is iconic.

★★★★☆

Dirtybird dynamo Ardalan is able to spread his wings a bit more after 2015 saw several side projects and his debut The Yeah/No solo EP for the label getting props from DJs and dance floors alike. Now with his second solo extended-player, Thunderdad, Ardalan adds another win to his resume.

The title track epitomizes the quirkiness and unique character of Dirtybird’s signature sound: wide kicks, dynamic bass, acid zips, bouncy beats, a gritty vibe and robo-vox that make this the perfect spin for dark and sweaty dance floors.

The flipside, “Look It,” starts with a punchy kick and layers techy stabs, buzzing synths and twisted samples on top to build a subtle groove with a subdued beat. This one is driving without being aggressively overwhelming.

The EP doesn’t soar to new heights, but it doesn’t need to because Thunderdad delivers exactly what we want from the Dirtybird nest. And with Miami (and the unofficial start of the 2016 club season) right around the corner, I expect to get a healthy dose of this Dirtybird ditty in regular rotation at upcoming underground events.

★★★★☆

Underworld have taken on a number of forms since their formation in the 1980s. From their earliest electro-pop leanings to the beginnings of the band we know today for their classic debut Dubnobasswithmyheadman to the chart conquering “Born Slippy.NUXX” and on to their place as dance music’s elder statesmen and sound trackers of the 2012 London Olympics, they are a veritable British music institution.

Never ones to rest on their laurels, Underworld have been constantly evolving throughout their career. Even when they reached their commercial peak for “that song from Trainspotting,” they’ve never wavered from making music that was true to themselves. This is still the case on the band’s ninth album, Barbara, Barbara, We Face A Shining Future, their first full-length in six years, and one that sees Karl Hyde and Rick Smith steadfastly making the music they want and need to make.

Barbara, Barbara, We Face A Shining Future — the title is one of the last things that Rick Smith’s father said to his mother before he died and gives the proceedings a poignant quality that prevails through the album — is Underworld sounding reinvigorated. From the opening fuzzed-up funk urgency of “I Exhale” to the warm strains of “Nylon Strung” that closes the album, the dub and techno elements that Underworld are known for are all present and correct. And there is a hopefulness that makes for a blissful and euphoria-inducing listen.

The band co-produced the album with Welsh drum ‘n’ bass DJ/producer High Contrast, who they collaborated with on “Scribble” on their 2010 album Barking and the 2011 riësto-fronted cut “The First Note is Silent.” Like their previous work together, there is a triumphant feeling of elation throughout Barbara, Barbara. “Low Burn” and “Motorhome” are full of warmth and soul, and the majority of the robotic beats sound soulful and gives you a good indication of the positive feeling that resonates through the album.

The beauty of “Santiago Cuatro” is a highlight here — it’s a mysterious and minimal track built upon layers of Spanish guitar that seems to soar throughout its duration. Likewise the upbeat “Ova Nova,” a laid-back throb, will be stuck in your head — in a good way — and shows the duo’s eclecticism.

Underworld have made an album that is not only thoroughly relevant but also a statement. This is a magnificent album that shows that Underworld are still kings when it comes to creating life-affirming and intelligent music.