Album Review: Don't You Remember The Future - Jamie Jones

Such is the case with genre-music, your enjoyment of any particular album rests on what you think of that style of music. Don't You Remember The Future is what it is: a plodding, proggy, tech-house work out that is at turns groovily Balearic, lamely portentous and mind numbingly dull. Billed as a kind of concept album dreamt up in a fourteen year old's bedroom, Jamie Jones says: “The idea that this is the year 2116, when music has become some kind of controlled means of manipulating humans, and the rebellion consists of artist like myself who are hiding underground creating sounds that explore outside that control.”

BlackPlastic might have been able to keep a better sense of humour about this had we been able to get any genuine enjoyment out of listening to it. It nods along nicely enough and the Prince flavoured 'Summertime' is an early highlight that at the same time had us begging the question - why aren't we just listening to Prince? Mercifully, things improve towards the end and 'Absolute Zero' is a trip-hoppy number followed by the more jacking ʻGalactic Space Barʼ featuring The Egyptian Lover.

As with anything more progressive, this benefits from being listened to front-to-back but in the same breath it doesn’t really work outside of the dancefloor, not that it would really be much fun on the dancefloor. It feels like a sampler for anonymous tech-house DJs.

The fact remains however, that if you are a fan of this kind of stuff you'll probably like it. Maybe we don't understand, maybe we don't want to understand, maybe we take the wrong drugs or go to the wrong parties. It’s ok for what it is but frankly life’s far too short.

BP x

Don't You Remember The Future is released on Crosstown Rebels on 7 September, available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk on CD.

Album Review: My Heart Beats Like A Drum - Natural Self

Natural Self's new album, My Heart Beats Like A Drum, represents a bit of an evolution for the artist - with a more mature, emotive sound than previous work it feels like there is much more colour to this record. The overall impact of the album is improved by the inclusion of guest vocals, provided by French vocalist Elodie Rama. It's an approach that undoubtedly works - adding colour and variety to an album that only really falls down when it stops changing.

There is a good chance you may not have heard of Natural Self and if this is the case then for your benefit he is Nathaniel Pearn and he produces laid back, soulful, rhythm based music. Much of it is instrumental and there are times when the music shines enough to warrant the space. The Cuban summer jam of 'Days Get Brighter' for example, or the drowsy 'Even Planets Get Lonely' - a track that sounds like it is literally buckling under the strain of staying awake in the midday sun.

The problem with all the instrumentals is that, taken together, they do not feel distinct enough to the casual listener to ensure engagement. A shame, given that they are generally pretty good. What saves My Heart Beats Like A Drum are those vocal tracks, fulfilling a palate cleansing role and throwing in a bit of spice to make thing just that bit more interesting.

There may only be three tracks with full vocals but they play a vital role in giving the album life. Of the three it is actually Natural Self's own delivery on the bluesy 'Every Day' that shines the most. Packed with bags of space and feeling it feels like a dip in the pool compared to the dry heat of some of the instrumentals here.

My Heart Beats Like A Drum is an album full of beautiful timing and textures and it will create a perfect soundtrack to lazing in the summer sunshine. A few more vocal cuts and a bit more variety could make Natural Self's next album great - in the meantime this one will simply have to settle for being rather good instead.

BP x

My Heart Beats Like A Drum is released on Tru Thoughts on 19 October 2009.

Album Review: Moondagger - Deastro

Deastro's slept-on début rocked BlackPlastic's world gently last year when it was released exclusively on eMusic - it's emotive electronic distortion hit a chord and made us go a bit wobbly.

An if Keeper's was a pleasant surprise then Moondagger is a bone fide love bomb. Made of the kind of tunes that BlackPlastic would happily lose their head in for days this is an album that separates the wheat from the chaff of Deastro's previous work to deliver something that really qualifies him as a unquestionably individual.

Moondagger is full of the soppy electronic punk records and the result is a perfect soundtrack to runaway to. Imagine the Pixies meets New Order on the way back from the keyboard store. Exactly.

If Moondagger falls just short of classic status it is only due to a slightly inconsistent overall flow and slight lack of consistency but it is worth noting that this still represents a significant step change from the last album. With tunes like the anarchic and bonkers 'Daniel Johnston Was Stabbed In The Heart With The Moondagger By The King Of Darkness And His Ghost Is Writing This Song As A Warning To All Of Us' Moondagger simply has bags of charm.

At its best - on the irrepressibly enthutiastic 'The Shaded Forests (Gift Givers Version)' or the melancholic 'Kurgan Wave Number One' - this is spine-tinglingly good. 'Kurgen Wave Number One' is so unapologetically bang on the money that you can actually feel the sting from the love turned sour that inspired it just by listening. Music that evocative has to be worth something.

BP x

Moondagger is out now on Ghostly International, order from Amazon.co.uk on CD, MP3 or LP [affiliate links.

Album Review: FabricLive 47 - various artists mixed by Toddla T

Broadly speaking Fabric albums can be divided into two categories - thoughtful and carefully considered or balls-out party starters. Toddla T's mix, perhaps unsurprisingly, falls into the latter. FabricLive 47 is a mix of grime, breakbeat, dancehall, dubstep, house and, occasionally, pop.

As BlackPlastic mentioned in our review of the recent Scratch Perverts' Beatdown album there is sometimes a tendency to get caught up in the 'now' without any concern for the actual quality of the tracks. There seem to be plenty of positive reviews forBeatdown, which suggests BlackPlastic's opinions aren't shared by all, but we would simply say: this is a far better postcard overview of dance music in 2009 than that album.

The difference is that the tracks generally feel much more like they will stand the test of time and whilst the mixing is perhaps a little less creative it's ultimately the tunes that count, right? Right...

So Toddla T has triumphed by keeping things fresh her, really chopping up the genres. Hip-hop on Stone's 'Amen' (featuring Roots Manuva) melts straight into a jump-up drum 'n' bass track Toddla creates by slamming several tracks together...

...And FabricLive 47 is at its best when it takes this approach, worrying less about what it should be and more about what it could be. There is the tongue in cheek soulful pop-dub take on Human League's 'Love Action' from Philly and then the tribal Caveman remix of Duffy's 'Stepping Stone' at the start of the album, or the soulful broken beat house of Skream's remix of Toddla T's own 'Rebel' and the blissed out Caspa mix of Deadmau5's 'I Remember' winding things up at the end. Sandwiched in the middle you have the likes of the aggressive hard-house hip-hop mash-up of of tracks (made from Bart B More & Diplo Vs Bashy's 'Millionaire Bingo', Bashy's 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' and Bingo Players' 'Get Up (Diplo Mix)') and Sticky and Lady Chann's cheeky 'Sticky Situation'.

FabricLive 47 may not exactly justify Toddla T's hype, but it certainly goes some way to explain it - it may not be sophisticated or that carefully considered but it sure is fun.

BP x

Toddla T's FabricLive 47 is released on 17 August - available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on CD [affiliate link].

On the topic of Lady Chann - in advance of her performance at FabricLive this Friday for The Heatwaves Funky Bashment takeover of room three we also have two tracks from Lady Chann available for download.

First up is Lady Chann & Sticky's 'Sticky Situation' as a free MP3 download - Download 'Sticky Situation' [right click, save as].

Also, made exclusively for this event, we have a medley from Lady Chann & Busy Signal - Download 'Medley' [right click, save as].

Album Review: He Was King - Felix Da Housecat

Long time BP readers will probably be aware of the BlackPlastic love affair with Felix, dating back to his glorious Kittenz and Thee Glitz album. Last album, 2007's Virgo Blaktro & The Movie Disco failed to live up to the expectations set by both Kittenz and its follow up Davin Dazzle and the Neon Fever - fast forward to 2009 and new album He Was King is set to drop in a few weeks following little fanfare.

Part of the fun of an album getting released from one of your favourite artists is in the anticipation. As such it is actually almost disappointing that felix's new album is already here but one thing is clear - He Was King is a return to form following Virgo.

Opener 'We All Wanna Be Prince' splices together lines from Prince records to create a love letter to everyone's favourite purple king of pop and from the off Felix is revisiting the best parts of his own catalogue. Not since Devin Dazzle's glorious 'Ready 2 Wear' has Felix created something as gorgeous as this album's opener.

And whilst the album opens on a pure pop moment there are some dance-floor gems too, recalling the dark 'Strobe' from Virgo and some of Felix's earlier, pre-Kittenz albums. 'Kick Drum', all empty-space, distortion and repetitive vocals, is a dubby love letter to the dancefloor and those girls that get lost on it. More than anything though it is 'Elvi$' that will provide He Was King its lasting dancefloor hit - a tweaking acid epic that would slot right into to many DJs sets to provide a suitable climax... It's long, wonky and just a bit nasty.

The highlights probably come in the form of the pop-couplet formed by 'Do We Move Your World' and 'We'. Not connected except for in their proximity to each other in the album's flow and the fact they both aim for a similar melodic sound, they are the tracks on this album that are most reminiscent of Felix's Kittenz era. 'Do We Move Your World' builds nicely to a hook before blasting off the launch pad whilst 'We' is pure-synthesized joy - sassy and cool, sleazy and honest, it is Felix at his best.

He Was King may not top either Kittenz and Thee Glitz or Devin Dazzle but it certainly comes close to equalling them. There are moments here that easily stand-up with the best on either of those albums, all He Was King lacks is the overriding sense of experimentation those albums boasted.

BP x

He Was King is released on Nettwerk on 24 August, available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on CD and MP3 [affiliate links].