Tag Archives: Ninja Tune

Switched On: Forest Swords – Bolted (Ninja Tune)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Six years on from Compassion, his debut release for Ninja Tune, Matthew Barnes returns under his Forest Swords moniker for a powerful follow-up. The intervening period has seen him working on commissions writing music for film, ballet and video games – but as listeners will discover from his second album, Barnes continues to take a bold approach to his work.

Bolted was recorded in Barnes’ home city of Liverpool, in a warehouse space – and it includes singles The Low and Butterfly Effect.

What’s the music like?

Expansive. The Forest Swords sound world is one with wide, panoramic views that are especially effective on headphones. Big, reverberant beats and synths are complemented by vocals that are deliberately treated, sometimes warped to blend in with their surroundings as they are on End or brought to the front for maximum effect, as they are on the powerful Line Gone Cold, an epic and emotive piece of work that closes the album.

Often it feels like Barnes’s music is telling the story of an industrial process, with the clanging of percussion in Rubble a working example. Butterfly Effect has rolling beats like a pinball machine but with widescreen synths out front, while Tar sounds like an old, distorted squeezebox pressed into action at short notice. Night Sculpture, an impressive construction, is dominated by a bold melodic chime and is typical of an ability to paint vivid and meaningful pictures in sound.

Does it all work?

It does. Forest Swords stands for distinctive, evocative music that draws from the past – 1980s acts such as Cabaret Voltaire could be mentioned – but also feels part of the future.

Is it recommended?

Yes. This is a bold, striking album that repays repeated exploration.

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Published post no.2,004 – Thursday 9 November 2023

Switched On: Barry Can’t Swim – When Will We Land? (Ninja Tune)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the debut album from Scottish artist Joshua Mannie, better known in musical circles as Barry Can’t Swim.

His singles Sunsleeper and Woman have fared particularly well during 2023, fulfilling Mannie’s wish to deliver the energy of electronic music but with real time performance, so that the music doesn’t sound too manufactured.

The diversities of this album include the sampling of Brazilian group Trio Ternura on Dance Of The Crab, and a rich choral palette on Always Get Through To You. There are vocal guests, too – somedeadbeat, Falle Nioke & Blackboxx and just lil.

What’s the music like?

There is a great deal of positive energy in the music here, helped by Barry Can’t Swim’s refusal to limit himself to a single area of music. Instead he shows himself to be a prodigious shape shifter, capable of bringing uplifting vocals to a mix that includes Afrobeat, deeper house, a bit of jazz, and what sounds like a freely improvised piano.

All of Mannie’s music is freshly minted, as though it were recorded yesterday. It ranges from Sonder, a lovely bit of airy, down tempo music with a soaring sax solo and bumpy rhythm, to Sunsleeper, which is a beauty with its rippling piano line. How It Feels is a good vocal, and could easily be a lot longer, but that promise is fulfilled by I Won’t Let You Down, which is a beauty thanks to the voices of Falle Nioke and Blackboxx. Often the music of Barry Can’t Swim reaches a semi-spiritual high, thanks to songs like Always Get Through To You.

Does it all work?

It does – and because of the instinctive approach to recording, this is electronically based music with a living, breathing heart.

Is it recommended?

Yes. When Will We Land? is an uplifting piece of work made by a producer of great promise and potential. Barry Can’t Swim has definitely provided some sunshine for the winter months, serving notice of another new talent on the Ninja roster.

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Published post no.1,994 – Monday 30 October 2023

Switched On: Sofia Kourtesis – Madres (Ninja Tune)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The story behind Sofia Kourtesis‘ debut album is an inspiring one. It is dedicated to neurosurgeon Peter Vajkoczy, for the life saving surgery he performed on the Peruvian DJ’s mother. Following the sad loss of her father, Sofia’s mother had become gravely ill, but she sought out Vajkoczy, dedicating a track to him, and rather wonderfully he agreed to treat her mother – who is now better and living in Berlin.

Madres, the Spanish word for mother, is a musical depiction of the emotions Sofia has gone through in the course of her own mother’s illness – but also represents Vajkoczy’s part in the album, for he joined Sofia on nights out in Berghain. As well as documenting her mother’s recovery, Madres is a document from Kourtesis to her home country, containing percussion and field recordings from her homeland, as well as documenting the pain of being ostracised for her queerness.

What’s the music like?

As uplifting as much of the story told above, but with deep emotional fluctuations. Kourtesis writes fluently, making richly expressive house music that has attractive twists and turns. The voice of Kourtesis complements her warm synth registrations. Only one track has guest vocals, but it’s a cracker, Estación Esperanza harnessing a strong percussion soundtrack while featuring the voice of Manu Chao. Lead single Si Te Portas Bonito is an absolute beauty, a hot weather treasure with full bodied synths and the voice of Kourtesis herself.

Vajkoczy – a tribute to the man himself – has a persuasive rhythmic lilt, while true euphoria is reached from the wonderful How Music Makes You Feel Better, an ode to the power of recovery at the hands of our favourite art form. Meanwhile Funkhaus goes more for the jugular, a propulsive dancefloor winner.

Does it all work?

It does. Madres is a beautifully executed album, its ebb and flow ideally managed so that Kourtesis hits all the right spots.

Is it recommended?

Very much so. A fine debut from a bona fide dance music talent.

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Published post no.1,992 – Saturday 28 October 2023

Switched On: Mr Scruff – Trouser Jazz (Ninja Tune)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mr Scruff’s second album, Ninja Tune are making it available as a 2LP reissue. This is excellent news for DJs and vinyl consumers, for as anyone will know the appeal of Mr Scruff lies not just in the music but in the accompanying art and package. To that end, the LPs are in blue and red vinyl, with artwork from Mr Scruff & Airside with – brilliantly – an ‘infinity peelable trouser sticker on the cover to reveal silver and gold foiled 20th anniversary trousers’.

What’s the music like?

The great thing about this reissue is that it lies wholly in the spirit of the album. Trouser Jazz was a breath of fresh air when it was released in 2002 and it remains the same today. Few tracks bring more cheer than the breezy Sweetsmoke, especially if you experience it via the video:

The vocal guests on Trouser Jazz are extremely well chosen, too – from the beautifully floated delivery of Seaming To, who graces Beyond and Valley Of The Sausages (!), to the fun rapping of Braintax on Vibrate.

There is also a winsome sense of humour running through the album. The well-chosen samples and original riffs brim with optimism, and have a brilliant sense of mischief about them. Listen to Shrimp, as its loose funk and jazzy overtones skate between the beats, or Ug, which has a bass line that is just plain weird. Shelf Wobbler is excellent, with its abundance of percussion and lithe hip hop beat, as is the vibrant sax on Champion Nibble. Scruff always gives good rhythm, but his music often carries a whiff of nostalgia, too. Come Alive wears a light melancholy, looking back towards the Style Council in its bass.

Does it all work?

It sounds as good now as it did in 2002!

Is it recommended?

If you didn’t buy it originally, what are you waiting for?

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Switched On: Jayda G – Guy (Ninja Tune)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Jayda G’s new opus is an intensely personal tale. Since her last album was released, the Canadian singer-songwriter has seen a surge in popularity bringing her high profile remixes and DJ sets, not to mention gigs. It has also seen her marry her childhood sweetheart in the same house where her parents were married.

The story here is much more about them than her – and specifically her father, William Richard Guy, whose voice can be heard in the spoken word interludes surrounding the music. The music itself is all about him, too, tracking his upbringing in Kansas, brushes with local gangs and the authority, splitting with his wife on return from a stint in Vietnam and moving to Washington. From there he moved to Canada, where he remarried and Jayda was born.

Jayda tells the story through pop music, though is more than happy to bring in house, funk and soul to enrich the musical flavour.

What’s the music like?

As above – pop music with extra colour and spice. Jayda writes with clean lines and has a cool vocal delivery, but these are beautifully worked nuggets that work in several contexts. House music fans will love the tempo and energy, lovers of soul will appreciate the deeper moments and the connection to the heart that she finds with her lyrics and vocals.

Pure pop music fans, meanwhile, will delight in the sharply observed lyrics, the hooks on which the music comfortably hangs, the sleek production and the riffs aplenty. What also helps a load here is the way Jayda clearly enjoys her role, and the personal input she gives to tell her story as vividly as possible.

There are many highlights, but a special mention should be made for Heads Or Tails, with its sharply observed pop and house music edge, Jayda G delivering typically cool vocals. Meanwhile Your Thoughts is an excellent power pop song, faultlessly delivered.

Does it all work?

It does. The ebb and flow here is spot on, the movement towards house music only heightens the pop sensibility, and there is a good groove at every turn.

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. This is music that is personal to Jayda G, but it will resonate deeply with any listener making the effort to get involved.

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