Beat Universe feels like Man Is A Machine‘s long-lost eccentric cousin dropping in to say, “hey, I’m still here,” and re-establishes a vision of electrified hip-hop as only Jvox navigates so well after all these years.
A plethora of percussive treasure troves
Making another unexpected—yet welcomed—appearance, Jvox (aka Joel Tallent) quietly recomposes himself; constantly drafting downtempo glitch and broken beat manifestations that immediately captivate us again and again. It’s the kind of groove and auditory overflow that comes from a sound sculptor unafraid to continuously transform disjointed tones into constructive sonic beauties. As “Telepath” slithers by inconspicuously, the boiling technoid flux of “My Cells” entangles itself in darker clip-hop’n lounge corridors, allowing Beat Universe to really take form.
Jvox’s trademark soundscape of beautifully distorted rhythms (“Fljamm” and “Back N Forth”), however, thrive amid twisting passages at the crosshairs of fragmented funk and extruded synth stretches as the aptly titled album navigates a plethora of percussive treasure troves. Beat Universe feels like Man Is A Machine‘s long-lost eccentric cousin dropping in to say, “hey, I’m still here,” and re-establishes a vision of electrified hip-hop as only Jvox navigates so well after all these years. Following the “instrumental electronic feast” of Man Is A Machine from earlier this year—also courtesy of Component Recordings—Beat Universe is (again) highly recommended.
Beat Universe is available on Component. [Bandcamp]
