Dabrye :: Instrmntl (Eastern Developments, CD)

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(09.02.02) Everyone, everywhere seems to be raving about this, Tadd Mulinex’s second album under the Dabrye alias. Although I was wary of the hype, it’s easy to see what the fuss is all about. For Instrmntl Mulinex has held back on the big synths that dominated One/Three, and has brought hip-hop styled sampling to the fore. The results are a bunch of warm, accessible grooves, but still with truckloads of interest to make for worthwhile headphone listening.

There’s a nice head-nodding feel here which makes me pleased I’m in the Southern Hemisphere, where summer is on the way. I’m reminded of what’s good about hip-hop productions by the likes of Jaydee/The Ummah or (recent) Dre, but Mulinex has combined his vibe with a kind of restless experimentalism. It sounds like he set out to write a great instrumental album and has managed to get the balance between holding a groove and keeping up listener interest.

Admittedly across the mere 30 minutes of music presented on Instrmntl things aren’t uniformly excellent. In particular, “This Is Where I Came In” attempts to marry up a slow, clumpy beat, a rather tuneless synth line and repetitive, banal singing (which I guess is Mulinex himself). It may sound harsh, but nothing seems to work on this track, and I’m surprised it made the cut.

That said, “This Is Where I Came In” is placed right after my fave track on the album, so the contrast may be what I’m reacting against. “Evelyn” is based on a sample of what sounds like a 70s soul jazz instrumental. Having established a groove, Mulinex doesn’t take the easy path of letting the loop ride, and instead subtly chops and shunts the sample about while introducing all kinds of variations to the beat. The results are just glorious.

Eastern Developments

Ghostly International