The London Subway duo of Alan James and Michael Kirkman have been carving out a swathe of inspirational machine music via their singles with Nuphonic, their own label and now Sunday Best. Subway’s debut album is the expected delight, betraying a long-time immersion in the classic future-pointed electronic practitioners of Detroit, Frankfurt, London and the cosmos, while stamping their usually downtempo creations with riveting innovation and – particularly – soul. The near-ambient ‘Day And Night’ even conjures up the spirit of early Orb, while the hypnotic shimmer of ‘Illusion’ manages to create a similar haunting atmosphere to the Doors’ ‘Riders On The Storm’. There is a lot of thought and exploration within these tunes, which manage to work in elements of electro, deep techno, balearic and even old jazz-funk, sometimes recalling the early Sabres. But it’s never over-bearing or obvious, and items like the title track do manage to prod the emotions – which these days can be a rare achievement indeed.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
