ROCKWELL – OBSOLETE MEDIUM
In the contemporary landscape of drum and bass, there has been a surge of popularity of the genre over recent years, leading more artists than ever before to cross over into more commercial territory. One only has to glance at recent lineups for mainstream electronic music festivals in the UK and the USA to note that artists signed to major drum and bass labels are billed alongside the David Guettas and Armin Van Buurens of the EDM world. In addition to the standard fare available on the Beatport Top 100 DNB chart, a seasoned listener can very easily get disenchanted by what could be described on the surface as a homogenisation of the sound.
Dig a little deeper and you will find gems lurking under the surface. Enter Tom Green aka Rockwell, the Shogun Audio signed wizard responsible for game changers such as “Detroit” and “Full Circle”, with his highly anticipated debut album “Obsolete Medium”. London based Green has been quietly working away on what he describes as a “naturally constructed collection of music reflecting my wide range of influences”. The end result is a wonderfully refreshing and eclectic album ranging from soulful hip hop jams to straight up drum and bass bangers.
The opening track “Faces” features the butter smooth vocals of Lauren L’aimant combined with thunderous half time 808’s and soaring synth stabs. Probably in what could be described as the most pop sounding track of the album, L’aimant’s voice is the real highlight and wouldn’t sound out of place next to artists such as Jessie Ware. Next up, tracks such as “INeedU”, “Lines of Ground Glass” and “Please Please Please (Play This On The Radio)” are neon bright, old school rave outs on Ritalin. In the latter, the vocal sample demands that you let the music take control and then builds up and drops into a ferocious technicoloured stomp with those familiar techy snares.
“14ME” and “Guts / Blood / Sex / Drugs ft Jams” reflects Rockwell’s love for hip hop and delves into bombastic trap and half time territory with swag by the bucket hat load. “Dizzle” is an 8-bitcrushing banger full of shattering gun-shot sharp kicks and 808s which will hit you straight in the solar-plexus with no mercy. In a similar vein, my personal favourite off the album, “Technoir” featuring the talents of Breakage, fuses dense and textural purchase xanax purple synths with a throbbing bassline to create a cosmic soundscape of dark and epic proportions. Exceptional production to say the least.
Moving onto higher tempo offerings, the adrenaline fulled collaboration with Sam Binga and Hyroglifics “Itsok2bhapp-e” reflects more of the recent revival of rave inspired drum and bass tracks such as Ulterior Motive’s “Tape Pack” of 2014. Aggressive mid-range-stabs coupled with low yelping growls and snappier-than-an-alligator snares are contrasted with a more playful high-pitched, almost squeaky toy-like synth. It’s very reminiscent of “Detroit” only this is way more upfront. “Rave Cult” enlists the prowess of German producer Phace and is an all out banger, militant and technical to the max.
“Macbook Jungle Crew” manages to create a minimal yet complex fusion of bubbling and ever switching drum patterns which really highlights the diversity of Rockwell’s technical ability and his willingness to think outside the box. This stripped back approach is in stark contrast to the majority of the album. “Music 2000” is another example of these creative drum patterns with a sinister edge. “Bait” takes it back to more traditional drum and bass structure with a cheeky sample cut from Jurassic 5’s “Quality Control” and will cause havoc on the dancefloor for years to come.
In short, this is a brilliant debut album showcasing Rockwell’s distinct sound and refusal to follow the rules of a single genre. Despite the diversity of character present in each individual track, they all mesh together ingeniously when listened to in one go and then you understand where they all fit in the bigger picture. Fans of fuzzed out, genre bending artists such as Alix Perez, Eprom and Rustie all the way up to the heavier spectrum of Mefjus, Phace and co will be satisfied with what Obsolete Medium has to offer. This is a glimpse into the future of drum and bass and it looks fucking incredible.
Review by Ari Yeung.
Beatport: http://hyperurl.co/OMediumBeatport
iTunes: http://hyperurl.co/OMediumiTunes
Spotify: http://hyperurl.co/OMediumSpotify
Vinyl: http://hyperurl.co/OMediumVinyl
CD: http://hyperurl.co/OMediumCD
