2003 was definitely the Vibert year, with the man consecutively
releasing a series of five drum’n’bass EPs
as Amen Andrews and his long-awaited first album for
Warp, YosepH,
collecting some of his up-to-then underrated acid work,
by far his most highly praised album to date, which
saw him featured heavily in all the respectable end
of the year best-ofs there are. As his next Wagon Christ
album for Ninja Tune is still under wrap, with a possible
Spring-to-Summer release, and with collaboration with
a Jean-Jacques Perrey in the pipeline, Luke is following
his already busy year with the release of his most unexpected
record to date.
A long-term friend of electronic legend and Rephlex
co-founder Richard D. James, aka Aphex
Twin, Luke’s first release for Rephlex dates
back to 1994 with his second album, Weirs,
recorded with Jeremy Simmonds. Yet, until last year,
it was also his only contribution to the London-based
label. With this new album, Luke goes disco. As he declared
to us, ‘The Kerrier District stuff is pretty cheesy
disco. I don’t think many people will believe
it’s me who’s made that stuff. It doesn’t
sound anything like me’. Taking his name from
a local council in his native Cornwall, Luke offers
here ten tracks spread over three LPs, representing
yet another take on the dance floor. Right from the
opening moments of Let’s Dance & Freak,
the purpose of this record is obvious. Sharing with
YosepH an
undeniable modernity in sound and structure, this album
finds its roots in a wide range of genres, from late
seventies club scene to early house, with elements of
dub, easy listening and jazz thrown in for good measure.
Everything is there, from handclaps, cowbells and ‘oooh-aaahs’
to strings, flutes and groovy bass lines, packed into
hypnotic little numbers. The soundscapes are not however
restricted to classic disco, and even if cheesy keyboard
gimmicks are found at every corner, there are also elements
of acid, dub or old school-house hidden along the way.
Vibert appears as much at ease with straightforward
4/4 beats as he his with hip-hop-infused or jungle rhythmic
patters, and from the outset of Let’s Dance
& Freak, one of the catchiest moments on here,
to the deep house/electro vibe of the epic New York,
the vocal arabesques of Yesco or the sleazy
jazz and languorous touches of Wide Vice, Vibert
works the groove and extracts the essence of dance culture
while simultaneously injecting his own vision into the
mix.
If some might reproach the relative uniformity of sound
and linear approach adopted by Vibert for this project,
this album is nevertheless an interesting, if slightly
atypical, release. From his early Wagon Christ records,
Luke has constantly shown great diversity in his work,
and this album should come as very little surprise to
his fans. Kerrier District might appear simpler
than what Vibert has got us used to, yet it fits surprisingly
well in his discography, and provides a cheeky little
brother to the more adult and serious YosepH.
4.7 |
