Author: Russ Slater
View album and artist detailsArtist/band: |
Mala |
Label: |
Brownswood Recordings |
Magazine Review Date: |
Aug/Sep/2016 |
Though he will perhaps always be best known for his role in instigating the dubstep movement – through his work in Digital Mystikz as well as the influential DMZ club night – Mala has established himself as an interesting solo artist, one unafraid of taking risks. His solo debut took him to Cuba where he integrated Roberto Fonseca's band into his dubstep template. For his follow-up, Mirrors, he had the opportunity to go to Peru, where he visited Lima, Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, recording local musicians and sounds along the way. Whereas the Cuban flavours in his previous album added light and colour, here it's a darker affair with ominous basslines and eerie synths overshadowing the Peruvian flute and percussion samples. There are a couple of exceptions, as on ‘Sound of the River’, featuring the gorgeous vocals of Sylvia Falcón and the very traditional ‘Cunumicita’, with Peruvian singer Danitse and a simple guitar and bass accompaniment. Largely eschewing beats, they add much-needed light to what can feel a very claustrophobic album, one that occasionally shows how Peruvian music can be integrated into dubstep (as on the panpipe-led ‘Kotos’ and tap-dancing rhythm of ‘Zapateo’) but often feels unsure how to ally Peru's indigenous and African-influenced folklore into its electronic setting.
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