SBTRKT – SBTRKT

Needs Something Added

Aaron Jerome is SKTRKT (subtract), a young music producer coming from London who refuses to be restricted by genre definitions. With his debut self titled album recently released, this off and on DJ is generating plenty of talk and radio play courtesy of BBC Radio One.

The album starts off with mystical droning leads on “Heatwave,” before choir chanting, glitch drumming, and finally a wooden flute takes control. The psuedo-shamanic vibes continue in “Hold On,” where a vibraphone is the center of attention next to R&B style vocals. The third track in, “Wildfire,” is a contrast to the previous two, utilizing dubstep wobbles, female vocals, and 808 drumming. The rest of the songs on the album are a hybrid of the aforementioned dubstep and intelligent dance music. Actually, SBTRKT’s multi-genred influences are quite prominent throughout and include everything from tribal to disco, like on “Pharaohs,” which is SBTRKT’s take on modern disco. SBTRKT uses several vocalists on this album, making for a deft lyrical variety, however, the use of arpegiation is rampant and flirts with being overused.

While the raw talent behind SBTRKT is abundantly clear, it is equally apparent that his debut album is a little rough around the edges. Make no mistake; Aaron is an experienced music producer who is on his way up in the London electronic music scene and beyond. This self titled album is a good listen; a little experimental, but nothing earth shattering. It will likely go down in history as “SBTRKT’s earlier stuff.” Give him a couple of years and let’s see what his sophomore album looks like.