This album fuses trip hop, metal, DnB, ambient, vocals, live instruments and goodness knows what else and wraps it all up with what is ostensibly a dubstep sound.
[Listen | Purchase] The new form of dubstep that has emerged from Bristol of late has another voice to add weight to the movement in the form of Metaphra. The intricate and subtle vocal stylings of acts such as Kloudbreak, Substatic, innamorati and the current darling of the air waves James Blake have been busy pushing the bass sensibilities of the dubstep sound into areas that are less about churning one’s intestines or trying to induce vomiting through sound and more about a musical expression that is emotive and genuinely seeking to engage us. I relate it a little bit to how the ambient scene grew from the rave culture, where chill out rooms gave producers the opportunity to make music that people would actually sit and listen to rather then jump about insanely to (not that I have anything against music for jumping insanely about to – far from it), thus spawning acts like Aphex Twin, Autechre and others which led on to Squarepusher, Kid 606, Amon Tobin and countless other amazing artists that relished making music that was designed to be listened to in detail and examined. The result was intricate music that was sometimes challenging to listen to, but usually well worth that effort. This new wave of bass heavy music, descended from dubstep is all about stripping back some of the wall of sound synonymous with the style, and allowing vocals, subtle rhythms and sounds come to the fore. Clearly drawing on the rich musical heritage of Bristol (cheesy, but I always wanted to say that), this ‘Nouvelle Vague’ is strongly influenced by the downtempo and trip hop of the last few decades that was so strongly associated with this part of the world: Massive Attack, Portishead, Wild Bunch and so on, but uses that influence to move the dubstep scene (which should now really be called the bass scene, of which dubstep is a part) forward into new waters.
Kleptocracy is the outstanding self released debut album from Metaphra, a duo consisting of Richard Gale and Marie Bolt. Originally formed in Bristol a few years ago but now residing in the deepest depths of Cornwall, the pair have been working on this album for at least a couple of years, with Richard on production duties and Marie delivering her unique vocal talents. Richard is a prolific and hugely talented producer who has been around for a while producing some truly innovative, if blood curdling D ‘n’ B under the moniker Defazed. If you are unfamiliar with his work, I strongly advise you to acquaint yourself. Marie has a voice that is distinctive and a vocal style that soars through the music, dipping and weaving around the melodies like a bird in flight. The pair met in 2007 when they where both DJ’ing at the same event, and a few years later they managed to get in the studio together and came up with a sound that is pretty unique.
This album fuses trip hop, metal, DnB, ambient, vocals, live instruments and goodness knows what else and wraps it all up with what is ostensibly a dubstep sound. The drums have the power and precision that you would expect from someone with a D ‘n’ B background, cutting through everything in their path to deliver tight snare sounds that might crack your skull if you stand too close to the speakers, and kicks that pierce through the rest of the frequencies to deliver the appropriate thud to the sternum. But this plays counterpoint to the soaring vocals and contemplative subtlety of downtempo soundscapes, melodies and rhythms. There really is a lot going on here, and it will take several listens to really let everything sink in. But here’s the thing, you can let this album drift over you and just be lulled into a meditative state by the ambience it exudes, or you can also listen very closely and get pulled in by the endless complexities cleverly buried within the layers of sound and rhythm. Either way, it works.
Chilled out downtempo dubstep oriented vocal music. Go and get yourself a slice of the newest cake from the newest scene.
Kleptocracy is out now on Metaphra. [Listen | Purchase]
Metaphra – A Bit Too Far by metaphra
