At first glance, Lukid’s instrumental hiphop might seem out of place on the usually dubstep-heavy Werk label. However, the young Londoner’s debut album, Onandon, demonstrates the musical and cultural kitchen-sink aspect of the genre, while still maintaining a singular place on the roster.
The first half of the album is built with equal parts of Cologne minimalist machine-click techno and of the swagger and swing of Detroit’s latter-day mix of cross-pollinated hip-hop, soul and house. Onandon‘s headphone masterpieces are in the opening set of songs, where muted keys dive in and out beneath the heavy syrup of low frequency, never moving beyond a confident lower-midtempo pace. It is this thick dub soup that brings the elements of these tracks together. Even the energising fourth track, ‘The Now,’ is full of echo and reverb, and builds its momentum with an opening salvo of icy stars rushing by in a calm vacuum.
The second half segues with the oddly-syncopated rhythm of ‘Isis’ that recalls the heyday of late ’90s broken beat like 2000 Black and IG Culture. The title track then calls on the smoky jazz-lick Parisian blues of DJ Cam’s Mad Blunted Jazz seemingly run through an inside-out take on DJ Shadow’s seminal ‘Midnight in a Perfect World.’ The most upbeat sequence of tracks follows, with the cool bounce of ‘Fela’ and the stutter-step romance of ‘Western Swing’ sounding tailor-made for the late morning body-grind workout of a classic Body & Soul set.
‘Wonder Years’ kicks off the final third of the album with a sample that sums up the core of the album’s heart perfectly – an irreverent Westerner is awed despite himself while witnessing an Aboriginal gathering. It’s such a brief moment, but, like everything else on the album, is perfectly placed. The track then drops into a smoothly chopped beat that plays beneath shimmering pads and shrunken-head chanting. ‘Light Up’ is a blossom on a breezy day – each time the key line rights itself, the beat bends its petals back again while one of the few vocal pieces of the album delicately buzzes around the process. Finally, digital purchasers can tack on ‘When the Sun Shone’ as a deliciously funky bumper of a bonus track that is undoubtedly accurately titled, as it is indeed awash in a summery loop that draws the album to a close.
When a producer is able to demonstrate a widescreen focus while at the same time maintaining his A-side game, that should be cause for celebration. There’s more than enough variety here to warrant repeated listening, even within a single sitting. Knowingly titled Onandon, the resulting party may not be brash and storming, but it’s guaranteed to go on much longer and wind up much sweatier in the end.
Ben Ramsey
*
