Martyn - Great Lengths (3024)
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 | Sounds
In the past couple of years a number of key artists and labels have been pushing dub-step into new territories, cross-pollinating with other genres and infiltrating other music scenes. Producers like Appleblim, Kode9 (and his Hyperdub label), 2562, Shackleton (and his Skull Disco label) have been instrumental in moving dub-step forward sonically. Another one of these key artists, Martyn, is set to release his debut album “Great Lengths” on April 20th through his 3024 label.
Although Martyn has come to prominence because of his recent dub-step productions, on “Great Lengths”, he hops from genre to genre effortlessly. Tracks like “Right? Star!”, “Far Away” and “Hear Me” reference Martyn’s drum & bass and 2-step roots. The devastating “Vancouver”, “Little Things” and “Elden Street” draw upon Detroit techno and Basic Channel influences and shows us why Martyn has been turning so many heads of late. Kode9 collaborator, Spaceape, provides vocals on “Is This Insanity?”, which is a clear nod to the Hyperdub / Skull Disco sound. The excellent “Seventy Four” is on a house tip - hopefully there will be more in this vein from future Martyn productions. The album even ventures into beat-less ambient territory on “Brilliant Orange” and the piano interlude “Bridge”. The whole album is tied together by what is Martyn’s own unique sound and his take on the music that has influenced him. An album of such high quality and variety is going to appeal to a lot of people and will surely end up being one of the highlights of 2009.
1 Comment to Martyn - Great Lengths (3024)
looks enticing. I was sold on Martyn after hearing one of his mixes on Breezeblock or some other radio show last year. and then when I finally picked up “Vancouver” and “All I have is Memories” it was a done deal. superb artist, he is.
April 18, 2009