Frustrated with processed rhythm tracks, Jay Daniel went to his mum’s basement and picked up the drumsticks. This back to basics approach was the first of the building blocks for debut album ‘Broken Knowz’, an album that really does take dance music and techno in particular back to its first principles. Giving his tracks a human, almost primitive edge, Daniel brings emotion to the front of the more intimate techno tracks here, such as ‘Yemaya’ and ‘Paradise Valley’. The gripping syncopations are even more to the fore in ‘$hake It Down’, while the bumpy beats and expansive electro of ‘Squeaky Maya’ are also a highlight. Jay Daniel offers proof that techno can easily make that essential human connection, and ‘Broken Knowz’ hits that spot repeatedly. Great stuff.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
https://ninjatune.net/release/jay-daniel/broken-knowz
