Leon Vynehall ★★★★ Rare, Forever NINJA TUNE. CD/DL/LP

Eclectic dancefloor experimentalist finds time for self-reflection.

Much of Sussex-born producer and DJ Vynehall’s music has focused on family. His mother’s in-car mixtapes inspired his breakthrough EP, while his haunting 2018 debut album, Nothing Is Still, wove the story of his grandparents’ emigration to 1960s USA. But our current collective narrative has allowed Vynehall to focus on himself. Rare, Forever has its feet on the dancefloor. Rich, dreamlike house grooves (Snakeskin ∞ Has-Been) threaten to combust but hold something back; doleful, beat-free walls of sound (An Exhale) are moving, before icy drone adds a sinister edge (Farewell! Magnus Gabbro). Evidence of Vynehall’s polymathic musical approach – recent production gigs include working in drill and experimental pop – abounds in the loping skank meets jazzy minimalism of Alichea Vella Amor. In all, Rare, Forever’s prevailing mood is sensuous and luxurious.

Stephen Worthy