Brought up on a diet of Miles Davis and Art Blakey, it’s little wonder that ‘Reachin’ Out’ is laced thought-out with jazzy undertones and burly beats. But that’s not how things initially start out – ‘Super Hi’ and ‘Switch’ owing more to the subtle sampled loops, warm strings and sparse vocal snippets of label compatriot Fred Everything and the nu-jazz beats of Compost respectively, then the roots of Blue Note. Canadian chanteuse Kate Rogers is implausibly chilled on ‘Multiply’, while Diane Charlemagne stamps her mark to the warm and cosy, yet instinctively groovy, ‘Reach Out’. The beats change to deep and melodic laced with the hip-hop rhymes of the legendary JVC Force duo, Qball ‘n’ Curt Cazal on ‘Would You?’ Dubble D, or Manchester-based producer Danny Ward to give him is proper name, is obviously passionate about his music: respectful of the past, while more than having a handle on the present, his debut collection clearly reflecting a multitude of influences that converge to create a highly listenable opus of rich textures and assured vocal performances.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: LEWIS DENE
