|
|||||||
|
||||
|
Certificate
18 to explore the darker penumbra of breakbeat science without ever descending
into the well-worn paths trodden by many of his UK contemporaries. Despite being the first international producer to inspire flights of praise from the likes of Andy C, Ed Rush, Bad Company and Optical, in terms of production Teebee's agenda has never been to pander to the staid requirements of the dancefloor, an attitude that is reflected by Certificate 18's label boss Paul Arnold. It's about the demands of good music and never being afraid to tread musical paths whatever the parameters of the industry or genre may be.  The
evidence lies in Teebee's prolific and high-quality barrage of releases,
such as the highly acclaimed 'Travel In Silence' on his own imprint Subtitles
(receiving hit ratings in Seven, DJ, Knowledge and Wax) and his excursion
into mellower territory with 'Dynasty Warriors/ Lifeless' on Fabio's Creative
Source label. No greater testimony can be paid to the originality and talent
of the man, however, than through his ability to craft two coherently original
albums of virtuoso drum'n'bass for both heads and feet - as irresistible
on a 50k rig as they are on a pair of Sony headphones. For those whose attention was snared by the verve of 'Black Science Labs', 'Through the Eyes of a Scorpion' will not so much be a coming of age as an inevitable expansion of Teebee's genre-stretching capabilities. The wide-screen chords, cascading low-end rumblings and lamenting vocal of first track 'Silent Depths' kick off proceedings with an intensely compelling eight and a half minute epic. Here the fearful ambience of the first album gives way to a deeper, more emotional experience, honed and harnessed by a producer who has amalgamated his technical versatility and diverse influences into a sumptuous balance within each of the eleven cuts. Referencing the breadth of the wide world of electronica, 'Through the Eyes of a Scorpion' samples as diverse sources and Satoshi Tomiie and Future Sound of London. More striking, however, and an additional dimension to the Teebee sound, is the vocal science that he laces through tracks like 'Tribal Jedi': another mould-breaking cut that forages into syncopated rhythmic turmoil, with incessant, nagging stabs breaking down into the deepest, warmest faraway synth-washes and mournful female vocal snippets. Similarly, 'Severed Dreams' never relents, and if any track defines the album it's this velocity, surging sonic pressure and measured warmth underscored with rumbling, brooding bass dynamics and a pleading vocal repeating, 'What are you doing to me?'  The
romping dancefloor mayhem of 'Frequencies', on the other hand, is one to
satisfy the DJ contingent a tough, roof-raising roller that will amply
fill the 'big room' with a heady blend of dark atmospherics and pneumatic
ferocity - with warped keys sizzling alongside industrial-strength breaks
through the heart of the mix. 'Through the Eyes of a Scorpion' has got one foot in the template of dark drum'n'bass, with perhaps a nod to the spaced-out chords of Detroit techno. The other foot, however, is planted firmly into the icy, sometimes sunless Norwegian climes where Teebee's compositions take their shape, and it's a place well worth visiting. |
|||
 |
||||
|
|
||||
