Album Reviews

UK-born, LA-based electronic producer Leon Vynehall has always been an artist who shifts, evolves and regenerates in unforeseen ways. The only constants throughout his career have been defying the expectations of people and then the quality with which he does so. First catching the eye as a club-ready house producer, Vynehall completely broke the mold with his 2018 critically acclaimed debut, Nothing Is Still. The highly atmospheric mood pieces of this record challenged everything you might expect from a house producer and felt more in line with a New York jazz artist. Three years on and the London-born artist has tipped the balance once again, sliding back towards the underground electronic aesthetic. Typically for Vynehall, it is not a straightforward transition, instead taking us on a sprawling journey through house, techno, breakbeat, drone, dub, postpunk and trip hop that’s warped and spliced through a jazzy, experimental prism. Constantly shifting gear and tempo, the album moves from the raw energy of sinewy techno to stretched-out synth landscapes and onto ambient amorphous sound excursions, while always retaining its identity as a progressive, expansive piece of work. Vynehall’s borderless approach to music enables him to create a soundscape of such depth and intricacy, while also injecting the drive and momentum of his more club-focused work. It’s simply impossible for an album to encapsulate the sound of Leon Vynehall, but Rare, Forever does a pretty good job of reflecting the spirit that makes him such a vital artist. Tom Jones

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Ecce! Ego!, Alichea Vella Amor, Worm (& Closer & Closer)

9/10