A founding father of drum and bass and this is plain to hear in Reflections. His experience is interwoven with a spread of different inspirations on this ten track collection, tie-dye anthems, smoke filled backroom bars, warehouse parties and percussion pioneers from across the world. Although some ideas explored in the album are not as fresh as when the style first erupted, the spirit of sound is omnipresent in the album’s flowing musicality and daring range.
Drum and bass is almost a complete mystery to me. Stifle that groan and muffle that moan, I do have a limited experience of the genre. I know Squarepusher well and thoroughly enjoyed the flurries of drill and bass around the 90s. Nevertheless, the main body of the genre passed me by. In all fairness, it is a style that permeates many others and one that over time has simply been adopted to such an extent that the tag become somewhat diluted. But, decades ago those rapid-fire rhythms and thick melodies was cutting edge and in many respects it has lost little of its avant garde edge. With this in mind, De:Tuned have recently turned to Peshay, the UK’s Paul Pesce and stalwart of the sound, to give a modern slant on a tried and tested style.
Reflections is Peshay’s first album in half a decade and to celebrate three lavish slabs of vinyl make up the living space for some ten tracks. “Capricorn” opens and is sheer brilliance. Celestial strings swim and soar, sweeping and swirling in neo-classical formations, before a barrage of beats rains down. Sweetened notes continue to rise as a frenetic energy is tapered through the interplay of drums and keys in this intoxicating introduction. The flip ventures down a different line. Bordering between free flow frolics and late-night rave reverie the infectious “Dangerous” is a “last of the set” power track. Many of the offerings, despite being new, are forged in the fire and floors of the early 90s. “Feel It” races at 140bpm with “Give Me Some More” suckling on that same hi-octane energy. The more thought-provoking pieces come when the influences of the dust mask and glow stick take more of a back seat. The title piece keeps tempos high but allows for a wider range of elements to co-exist. Big and bold basslines are washed with tingling hi-hats and snapping snares while piano keys ebb and flow between breathy samples. Peshay’s lounge and jazz influences also lead to some wonderful conclusions, the bravado and funk of “Riviera” or the revamped brass and beats of “The Jazz Chronicles.” “Summer Breeze” is the culmination of these influences. Delicate notes are bolstered by triumphal trumpet blasts as skittering percussion speeds in this ten-minute odyssey to bring the journey to an end.
Paul Pesce is a founding father of drum and bass and this is plain to hear in Reflections. His experience is interwoven with a spread of different inspirations on this ten track collection, tie-dye anthems, smoke filled backroom bars, warehouse parties and percussion pioneers from across the world. Although some ideas explored in the album are not as fresh as when the style first erupted, the spirit of sound is omnipresent in the album’s flowing musicality and daring range.
Reflections is available on De:Tuned.
