Let’s Dance?

Dive Deep is Morcheeba’s second album lacking a consistent lead vocalist following the departure of Skye Edwards from the group. Nonetheless Paul and Ross Godfrey, the core members of Morcheeba have not ceased to develop as two of the most well regarded artists in the trip hop genre.After the critical and commercial failure of their previous album, The Antidote with replacement vocalist Daisy Martey, Dive Deep marks a return to the ephemeral sound present on earlier albums. The Godfreys have recruited a varied cast of singers including Korean rapper Cool Calm Pete and Norwegian Thomas Dybdahl that contribute to the album’s eclectic sound. Although the final product is by no means a dance album, it serves as a clear reminder of the intricacies involved in electronic music production.

The Godfrey brothers have adopted a diverse array of instruments including a banjo, a Wurlitzer organ and a steel lap guitar to produce the ethereal sound on Dive Deep, as if it were recorded underwater. Carefully avoiding over-production, the duo has created an album that rests in the happy medium between lush instrumental composition and down tempo Trip Hop. Such is evident on the track “One Love Karma” in which Cool Calm Pete’s steady flow and backing drum machine complement the atmospheric production.

The album bears striking similarities with Zero 7’s latest release Gardens, employing a diverse cast of vocalists over lush instrumental electronica. Listeners fond of earlier Morcheeba as well as artists including Massive Attack, Portishead and Thievery Corporation will find Dive Deep a welcome addition to their libraries.