Review: DJ Cam 'Seven'

DJ CAM
Seven
[Inflammable]

Do you remember Trip Hop? DJ Cam does, and on his latest album, Seven, the Frenchman's re-visiting the sound with which he made his name in the mid-'90s. Sort of. But it's just not the same. Trip Hop at its best (Portishead, Massive Attack, Tricky) was challenging, vibrant and alive, always looking to create something of substance. DJ Cam at his best was capable of that. Trip Hop at its worst (I can't bring myself to name names, though I'm sorely tempted...), was self-indulgent, sappy or often just plain boring. Cue Seven. Guest vocalist Chris James appears on three of only four decent moments here (Swim, Ghost and Uncomfortable), with his remarkable range, delicate touch and sheer presence providing the few rare moments of real beauty. The fourth is the CD-only bonus track, A Loop, easily one of the most exciting instrumentals on the album. Many tracks, such as Dreamcatcher and Seven, are cringingly simplistic stylistically, while others meander seemingly without direction, sometimes sounding a little like Massive Attack, or a little like James Blake, or... well, put it this way: this is Cam's seventh full-length album, and the thought put into naming the album seems to reflect the level of musical creativity present. The definition of background music.

1 and 1/2 stars from 5

Review: SBTRKT 'SBTRKT'

SBTRKT
SBTRKT
[Young Turks]

Finally there's good reason to get excited about pop music again. Well, some pop music, anyway. While many may argue, suggesting "post-dubstep" is a more accurate term to apply to the subject of this review; modern pop music is exactly what SBTRKT has aimed for on his self-titled debut, for Young Turks (home to other notable sound-of-nowsters, The xx). By and large he succeeds. Admirably, even. Unlike contemporaries and closest comparisons James Blake and Jamie Woon, SBTRKT aka Aaron Jerome (who had a handful of releases under his own name on WahWah45s some time ago) is undeniably accessible, with tracks like Pharoahs (which out-Basement Jaxx's Basement Jaxx) and the just-wobbly-enough Wildfire (featuring typically outstanding vocals from Little Dragon's Yukumi Nagano) far more digestible than anything from his peers' recent efforts (as excellent as they both are). The key difference is that Jerome makes room for his guest vocalists (also including Sampha, Roses Gabor and Jessie Ware) among his intricate arrangements, with the skittering, Timbaland-for-2011 beats only one part of the whole picture. With hints of dubstep and garage among these glitchy-yet-soulful grooves, SBTRKT has found a winning formula - and a label - which bodes well for the future of pop music.

4 stars from 5

Check out more from SBTRKT here...

Review: Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX 'We're New Here'

GIL SCOTT-HERON & JAMIE XX
'We're New Here'
[XL/Young Turks]

We've every right to be dubious when labels pair up hip, young zeitgeist producers with respected, legendary older artists, particularly thanks to the recent release of a few disappointing collaborative efforts (did some mention Jack White and Wanda Jackson?). We're New Here is different. How? For a start, this is a remix album. Then there's the source material: living-legend Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 epic/comeback, I'm New Here. Young Jamie Smith (drummer/producer for world-conquering UK indie three-piece The XX) has completely reworked thirteen tracks from the original album sessions, placing Scott-Heron's disembodied vocals amongst pulsing, spidery soundscapes. While sounding excitingly modern, like Burial or James Blake, We're New Here is endearingly reverent, even adding a degree of warmth to the intentionally deep, dark originals. Smith also samples snatches of vocals from Scott-Heron's work in generations past, providing for some kind of deep, philosophical inter-generational link. Whatever. This is proper dance music, 2011-style.

4/5 stars

Review reprinted courtesy of Waikato Times