by Zomby
It is best we talk here in the language of the album title, so with that said it is with a most grateful heart that I sit to write of Zomby's latest. The electronic genre is receiving increasing attention at PBS, including the more underground sounds, and I for one couldn't be happier! Recently I wrote a piece for another PBS Feature Album, Boards of Canada Tomorrow's Harvest (Warp Records), and once again we are dealing with deeply reclusive artistry and another lengthy release, in this case covering some 33 tracks and coming in at nearly 1 hour and 20 minutes. Much has already been written of Zomby, whose real name remains unknown, especially his hermit like nature contrasted most interestingly against his increasingly prominent online presence, see @zombymusic on twitter where he is not one for holding back. On this his third album release, the second with 4AD, the UK expat now NYC based producer is giving a nod to the genres that played large in his musical advancement, those being jungle, hip hop, garage and grime. More recent sounds like trap also feature heavy on this album.
I'm not here to review this album or tell you which tracks are key, I'll leave that to you, what I will say is that this is a particularly powerful, emotive, deep and raw release, especially as heard on Volume 2. It is little wonder that the recent Pitchfork (rare) interview posed questions such as 'Do you consider yourself a happy person'? Tracks finish just as abruptly as they began or quickly fade out and many are shorter than 2 minutes. Zomby describes this as “creating an effect similar to going from one room to another one without warning”. 4AD provides the ideal home for Zomby where he doesn't have to “adhere to any dance or electronic structures”. Melbourne's frigid July weather and manic wind gusts provide a fitting backdrop and environment from which to sit back and immerse oneself in this album. If I did have to insist upon one thing it would be that it is very necessary to listen to this album on a good system, preferable with a sub, taking advantage of the trap highs and brooding bass. I'll leave you with a few words from the mask wearing cult figure, “I'm not a big nostalgist. I don’t want to end up in an antique shop for music. We should try to keep it moving forward.”
by Bevin Campbell - The Blend (Mondays 10pm–12am)
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