Belgian producer Alix Perez has been making drum n bass since 2005 and, as seems to be the fashion at the moment, draws on a wide range of other genres to complete his sound. While I'm not always a fan of this diluted (or enhanced, depending on your view) dnb sound, the title track that opens this album instantly took me in with its lush synths, beatsy but ambient, slightly aping work by Reload and friends, which is no bad thing. Elsewhere, 'I'm Free' and 'Suffer In Silence' are both highlights, with menacing, dark beats that get things down to the dancefloor, while 'Contradictions' also works well, adding a pinch of soul to the mix. However, other efforts fail to hit home, with smatterings of rap casually tossed in on tracks like 'The Cut Deepens' and 'Calm Of Cast' falling a bit flat, and downbeat numbers like 'No Grudge' not really going anywhere. The final track, 'Hemlines', starts chilled and aquatic before pacey drum n bass and moody strings take over to end the album well, but by then it's too late. All in all, '1984' is a little disappointing after such an awesome intro. There are some different moves and grooves in there, and the drum n bass, sparse as it is, is actually of a good standard. But dnb producers all seem to be aligning with hip hop, rather than house, these days, and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. PV
Oct 9, 2009
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1 min read
Album Review: Alix Perez – 1984 (Shogun Audio)
Alix Perez's album 1984 has a strong opening title track and some good drum n bass, but many tracks fail to hit home.