TIPPER: Broken Soul Jamboree (Tippermusic)

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Posted on Jan 28th 2011 01:08 am

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Tipper: Broken Soul Jamboree

TIPPER
Broken Soul Jamboree
TIPP004C/TIIP00DL10
Tippermusic 2011
13 Tracks. 59mins22secs

Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD iTunes: DLD

David Tipper has been around for over ten years and has, in that time, delivered a fairly constant flow of music, from his early EPs, published on his own Fuel Records imprint, and debut album, The Critical Path, which had him rubbing shoulders with the big boys at Sony Music, via their short-lived Higher Ground stable, before favouring once again home comfort with Tippermusic, which has been the outlet for most of his releases since. With eight albums under his belt, he’s had plenty of time to perfect the blend of breakbeat and ambient which has been at the heart of his work throughout the decade.

With Broken Soul Jamboree, Tipper largely leaves behind him the hectic rhythms and outwardly abstract textures of his break-infused records for a series of gentler cinematic compositions. This album is closer in essence to Surrounded (2003) and The Seamless Unspeakable Something (2006) than pretty much anything else in his discography. The soundscapes are predominately luxurious, combining acoustic instrumentations and electronics into gently kaleidoscopic structures, while the beats are tightly kept in check, never veering far from the heavily loaded and defused breakbeat patterns that became synonymous with a lot of laid back records in the mid-noughties. From the dreamy ethnic textures of opening piece Big Question Small Head or Broken Spectre and the dreamy sequences of Dead Soon, Neuron Huskie to the quirky pop of Tit For Tat or the sweeping melodies of Cuckoo, Herriot Method or Royal Dragon Sir, Tipper assembles his compositions with the same attention to details that made The Critical Path or Tip Hop such complex and engaging records.

As beautifully assembled as it is though, Broken Soul Jamboree trades the edge of Tipper’s more upbeat records for the comfort and safety of post lounge electronica. All in all, despite its exploratory tendencies and faultless execution, the album ends up feeling, like most records treading a similar path, all too contrived and self-aware. Never can Tipper really crack the veneer that coats each one of his compositions here and let them breathe freely, and while it remains a pleasant enough record, this album ultimately lacks the necessary sparkle to make a truly memorable mark against more adventurous records.

2/5

Tipper (MySpace) | Tippermusic
Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD iTunes: DLD

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Comments (4)

4 Responses to “TIPPER: Broken Soul Jamboree (Tippermusic)”

  1. # paulon 13 Feb 2011 at 2:39 am

    i disagree heartily…when i listen to this record it breaths beauty. i’m tired of all the hyper processing in today’s electronic music scene – striving for something innovative at the expense of genuine music//yes, this sound is a bit of a throwback , but it’s staggering for it’s natural, earthy atmosphere and real musicality….

  2. # themilkmanon 14 Feb 2011 at 8:40 pm

    I must admit that this record caused me to think quite a lot. I remember one of his first allbum and how it was quite edgy, and this latest one had a little bit of that for me, but I never quite could capture it, and it was all too difuse. I know that he kinda comes and goes between edgy and ‘fluffy’ (for lack of a better word), but, like you with ‘hyper processed’ electronic music, I think there’s so much electronic music that ranges from plain coffee table nonsense to some more interesting, but still all too soft and fuzzy edged that I’ve just become totally imune to anything remotely like that, or at least, bored with it.

    Now, it doesn’t make this album bad, and I don’t think that’s what I said, but at the same time, I just felt like the album was quite pretty perhaps, but it was also wishy-washy and not really going anywhere, and that’s what I was trying to say in my review. I hope this makes sense.

  3. # Simonon 11 Jul 2011 at 7:05 pm

    First off i’m a huge fan of Tipper’s production and the variety of styles he’s incorporated into his collection of albums. Some I’ve liked more than others but they all hold their own merits, much like this one. It’s not as funky as Tip Hop or as enchanting as elements of The Critical Path but it carries the listener along quite happily for an hour.

    I’ve listened to it a good few times now and i’m sure i’ll continue to do so (on and off) for a while to come yet. For this reason, I have to disagree with the two stars offered here and think it deserves a little more like 3.5/5.

    It’s maybe not his best, but i don’t believe he’s ever made an album as lowly as 2/5. I like your review and agree with you on many points except the overall mark. I hope that doesn’t make this comment redundant?

  4. # themilkmanon 12 Jul 2011 at 7:48 am

    Absolutely not, quite the opposite, and I always welcome comments, so thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the album.

    I’ve had quite a chaotic journey with this album. First impression was definitely so-so, especially as I was hoping for a record with a similar edge to The Critical Path, which is still probably his sharpest sounding record (IMO anyway). There were times where I could seem to find a glimmer of excitement, and I tried hard to get to the bottom of it, but it always seemed to be just a glimmer, which never added up to much in the end, hence the rather low score. I think the album is full of unfulfilled potential, ideas that could have been great, but ended up only half developed, which I felt was a real shame.

    I haven’t got back to it since writing the review I must admit, so maybe I should and see how I feel about it now.