Review Summary: A true show of strength from the Neurofunk veterans.
As a genre Drum and Bass inevitably struggles with the album format. In the electronic music scene appreciation and interest are fleeting, and the glory days of dnb are surely long past. Classics like
Goldie's "Timeless" and
Photek's "Modus Operandi" were given the recognition they rightfully deserve because they explored an uncharted territory. Since then the dnb scene became somewhat split apart - the heavyweight producers and record labels strived for continued mainstream appeal by adopting elements from other music genres to keep their sound fresh, while some artists decided to stick to their guns and hone the already familiar styles of Drum and Bass. While catering to the niche might not yield as much monetarily, the three artists that are the epitome of this approach to the genre are undeniably my most loved ones. What is more surprising is that in truly embracing the rigid nature of dnb, they have also produced some of the most relevant full-length albums to the genre in the era when dnb was supposedly in a recession of sorts. One of them is Tom Withers, aka.
Klute, and the other two are Ben Settle and Matt Quinn, aka. Ed Rush & Optical.
Travel The Galaxy might be the most accomplished album by the duo since "Wormhole". While it is impossible to surpass the influence Wormhole has had on the scene, Travel the Galaxy manages to sound genuinely relevant, which is already an impressive feat given the duo's massive back catalogue. The tunes have more melodic elements and shifts in pace than their material on "Wormhole" or "The Creeps", while being stylistically uniform unlike the most recent (and disappointing) "Chameleon".
The opening tune, "City 17", does a great job in establishing and framing the narrative of this album, which is something that sets "Travel the Galaxy" above the earlier albums. Neurofunk and sci-fi certainly go hand in hand, and so the way the first few tunes paint the scenery of a futuristic totalitarian dystopia alongside the album art is very pleasant, even when the tunes stop directly referencing to this world with audio clips. The general mood has been strongly instilled and reinforced. Even the overused Apocalypse Now -samples that are used later on get an interesting twist to them, since now the listener can imagine where these pieces of information - these scenes - would fit in context of the world and story.
The middle part of this album is most dense with stand-out bangers. "Chubrub" is most loved by the genre purists for its raw sound, while the gritty bassline on "Snaggletooth" and the massive rhythmic shift on "G-Force Jesus" also deserve their own mention. All these tunes could easily be released as 12" singles, while also working in concert to create an impeccable flow. The rest of the album has a more spacey feel, starting from the eery "The Kindred" and ending on "The Schrander's Dice" which is also another high point.
What ultimately sets Travel the Galaxy apart from most other Neurofunk albums is that it is just that - a true album. Ed Rush and Optical managed against all the odds to create something that is raw and gritty without being dense and tiring. It's accessible, fresh and true to its stylistic roots.
