Evolve
Jarring Effects, 2021
8/10
On this debut solo album, Uzul, a long time supporter of the bass music scene, meshes techo, dubstep, house, hip-hop and plenty of other ideas into 11 unclassifiable tracks.
“Octopus” starts the listen with a brief display of an ominous atmosphere that sounds underwater, before “Aquatic” enters with a firm beat and light buzzing as a club friendly approach unfolds with plenty of exploratory, glitchy fun.
Landing near the middle, “Hello” pulsates with dizzying percussion in an energetic landscape, while “Sea Horse” forges ahead with a lively, nearly hypnotic delivery of synth acrobatics. “Subtle”, a late album highlight, then recruits a soulful demeanor amid a calm, soothing display of trip-hop dynamics.
Close to the end, the sci-fi sounding “Music Is A Game” embraces firm techno and reggae ideas, and “Oceans” finishes the listen out steeped in dub and trip-hop in a way that only a true veteran of the genres could craft.
Uzui has been apart of Kaly Live Dub, Hybrid Sound System and 4GetMeNot, among others, and this first solo outing continues his consistently innovative and engaging songwriting that’s both playful and meticulous.
Travels well with: Benjamin Schoos- Doubt In My Heart; Julien Boudart- Nome Polycephale/Ancient And Modern Myths Vol. 1