Tag Archives: Ninja Tune

On Record – Young Fathers: Heavy Heavy (Ninja Tune)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the fourth album from Edinburgh-based trio Young Fathers, and their first since 2018. It fulfils their pledge to go back to first principles, to make music in their basement studio with just equipment and microphones.

The back to basics approach extends to the music, with ten tracks despatched with very little fuss. As the band say, “The weigh that we’ve been carrying is now yours. Do what you want with it.”

What’s the music like?

There is something very elemental and primal about the Young Fathers these days. Part of that would seem to be down to the African percussion that comes to the fore in a lot of the tracks on this album, but the vocals also communicate with remarkable strength.

The 1-2 punch of opening duo Rice and I Saw make a striking impact, establishing the tone of an album that feels on one hand a celebration of the human spirit, and on the other a protest against the ways of the world.

Tracks such as Ululation strip everything back to basics, with extraordinary vocals that hit the heights against an undulating backing track. Here the music feels new, bringing together influences as diverse as Leftfield, Animal Collective, Mos Def and Afrobeat. The latter influence takes thrilling command of both this song and Sink Or Swim, the band operating with an urgency rarely heard in new music.

Does it all work?

Very much so. This is a lean album, its ten tracks lasting just over half an hour – and there is no sign at all of any padding. Its emotions feel wholly authentic, running from triumph to sorrow and back often in the space of just one song.

Is it recommended?

It is. Young Fathers’ first two albums were compelling, but this chapter contains their deepest revelations yet – along with the feeling there is much more to come with their development as a band.

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Switched On – Romare: Fantasy (You See)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

After a number of album releases for Ninja Tune (Projections, Love Songs: Part Two and Home), Romare sets sail on his own label You See. Here he delivers a new 8-track album, bringing more of his own instrumentation and vocals to the fore alongside previously honed sampling techniques. On Fantasy, Romare (real name Archie Fairhurst) is able to also bring in audio clips from 1970s fantasy cinema, which proved a lasting inspiration during lockdown.

Fairhurst also cites a love of the band Gryphon and the influence of Medieval music on the album.

What’s the music like?

Playful and affectionate, though not afraid to get down and dirty when it wants to. The influence of Medieval music is most evident in its touching simplicity, while on other occasions Romare’s music is a lot more layered, with plenty going on.

Priestless chugs along with displaced voices, brassy undertones and fun riffing, its direction never easy to trace. Dungeon and the excellent Seventh Seal are more beat driven too, the latter exploring suspended synths which are initially hazy but then let loose in thrilling fashion. Sunset is energetic and quite playful, too.

At the other end of the beat spectrum sits the blissful Walking In The Rain, an easy and effortless stroll where the rhythm track and vocal – perfect for this month’s British weather! – go hand in hand. Closing track The Fool taps into a similar vibe, showing how easily Romare can switch between intense sample-based workouts and pieces of music that take us outside for a breather.

Does it all work?

It does. There are no particular rules to Fantasy, which make the resultant music all the more winsome. Fairhurst’s blend of carefree structure and more careful, studied looping works really well.

Is it recommended?

It is. Previous albums showed Romare to be imaginative and creative in rhythm and sound – Fantasy builds on that and shows he is progressing to be a producer of some repute.

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Switched On – Bonobo: Fragments (Ninja Tune)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Perhaps surprisingly, this is the first album from Bonobo in five years. Simon Green – whose pseudonym this is – describes his new record as the most emotionally intense record that he has ever had to make. As with previous releases he takes a number of guest vocalists with him on the journey, dovetailing those tracks with instrumentals.

What’s the music like?

Familiar. If you have heard Bonobo’s music before, the manner of its construction on Fragments will tick a number of boxes. Beautifully orchestrated, the instrumentals work well with the broken beats that Green employs, which have more power and depth this time.

The vocal guests complement his sensitive work with some meaningful lyrics. There are strong contributions from Joji, Kadhja Bonet, Jamila Woods and O’Flynn, but pick of the turns is from Jordan Rakei, who lends a powerful tug to the heartstrings on Shadows.

The thicker set grooves may be welcome, but does the familiarity of Bonobo’s sound breed contempt? Certainly the chopped up vocals on Age Of Phase feel familiar, very much a continuation of what Bonobo does best. Rosewood is also a characteristically moody instrumental with vocal snippets, though Otomo is more acidic, dropping a heavy set beat. On the calmer side the shuffling beats of the comforting Closer work well, while the silvery strings to close out Tides are reminiscent of Ravel. Elysian also has alluring strings, especially when teamed with a harp.

Does it all work?

It does, but the feeling persists that this is music we have heard before – and possibly in more meaningful colours. In spite of the emotion invested by Green the music does feel grey at times. That may seem harsh on Bonobo, for the music is beautifully constructed and executed, but it is more than a little downbeat in a way we have experienced before.

Is it recommended?

It is for Bonobo devotees, as there are some good moments here – and especially the Jordan Rakei contribution – but for those new to his sound an album from earlier in his output, such as Black Sands, is arguably the best place to start.

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Switched On – Park Hye Jin: Before I Die (Ninja Tune)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Park Hye Jin releases her first album on Ninja Tune, the culmination of a whirlwind couple of years for the South Korean. Now based in Los Angeles, she has built up a strong reputation for original electronic music through collaborations with Blood Orange, Nosaj Thing and Clams Casino & Take A Daytrip – their track Y Don’t U being especially successful.

Perhaps her biggest calling card yet however is the track Like this, caught by BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music and chosen for the soundtrack of FIFA 2021. It is one of the many reasons Before I Die is so highly anticipated.

What’s the music like?

Extremely varied. Pigeon holes don’t exist with Park Hye Jin around, for she can effortlessly turn her hand to so many styles, reflecting the human condition through a wide range of moods. While that might sound like a lazy observation, few artists can rise to this challenge with such infectious confidence.

She moves from the deadpan rap of Never Give Up to the direct come-on of Can I Get Your Number, from down tempo R&B numbers like the slightly warped Sunday ASAP to big dancefloor gunners such as Hey, Hey, Hey. Sometimes the lyrics involve straight-to-camera honesty, like I Need You, which is dressed with an old-style piano and briefly drenched in nostalgia.

This direct approach runs through the album, which is highly entertaining, often funny, sometimes tender – but almost always hitting the mark with its sharp riffing and clever beatmaking.

Does it all work?

It does. Before I Die is over in a flash, with many of the tracks well under three minutes – showing Hye Jin’s ‘all killer and no filler’ approach, which works really well. In the course of the 15 episodes you really feel like you get to know her as a person, what makes her tick and what pisses her off, and to end with the level-headed i jus wanna be happy is right on the money.

Is it recommended?

It is. Park Hye Jin’s original approach takes dance music back to its first principles, working through an often thrilling range of beats and emotions. She is without question an artist to watch.

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On Record – Oliver Patrice Weder: The Pool Project (SA Recordings)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

It is helpful to know where The Pool Project was recorded. Oliver Patrice Weder, a Swiss composer residing in Spain, recorded the album with friends in a pool house, surrounded by an evergreen oak tree forest, just outside of Madrid.

Weder has an intriguing musical history, channeling his love for The Doors‘ keyboard-based work into more classical and jazz-orientated work. Keeping this open musical policy, he sketched the music for The Pool Project in this restful area, before bringing friends in to contribute. The instrumentation speaks more of jazz, including voices, alto flute, bass clarinet and percussion, with Weder himself providing keyboards and electronics.

Weder’s own company Spitfire Audio are simultaneously releasing a sound library, giving composers and producers the opportunity to manipulate the sounds from the album for their own purposes. The toolkit offers an extension of these sounds, capturing the acoustics of the pool house, and is offered as an easy-to-use plug-in.

What’s the music like?

As restful as can be. The lapping of the water and the soft, Satie-like piano loop used in Rainbow Fish are indications of the pace at which Weder is going to operate. Satie is a good point of reference, for this piece operates along the line and rhythmic cadence of his Gymnopédies, developing its ideas subtly.

Weder uses imaginative orchestration to allow his ideas to bloom. The winsome bass clarinet in Lala, or the mellow alto flute on Rainbow Fish are really nice touches, as is the older, slightly untempered quality he gives to the piano, with its soft undercurrents of melody. This gives the chromatic line on Encina a displaced quality, also adding a mellow tone to the soft oscillations of Peter.

Forest Glade bubbles with life, introducing a steady but unobtrusive beat to go with its softly reverberating phrases, secured from a delayed Wurlitzer electric piano.

Does it all work?

It does. Everything about this meditation is unforced, Weder’s ideas allowed to pursue a naturally evolving path until they come to rest. Sometimes the listener is invited to sit back and enjoy the lightly applied jazz flavourings to the melodies, but then on occasion Weder complements the slow, quiet music with pockets of reviving energy.

The guest instrumentalists pitch their contributions just right, and deserve to be credited – Clara Gallardo on fulsome but mellow alto flute, while Joaquín Sánchez Gil moves from light meanderings on Peter to more outright, jazz-influenced work on Lala. Guitarist David del Cerro Turner frames the closing Distant Island beautifully, while percussionist Juan Espiga brings the necessary movement to Forest Glade.

Is it recommended?

It is. The Pool Project is a beautifully executed piece of communal meditation, its simple phrases blossoming into restful tableaus of music.

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