Dedicated to What?

With three albums in less than five years, Zomby has really been shaking things up since his 2007 inception. This UK producer brings us a new collection of 16 tracks with Dedication, but his commitment to the dubstep scene will be tested with the critical reception of this album by both his fans and fellow musicians.

Dedication begins with the eerie urban ambience of “Witch Hunt,” featuring creeping percussions and echoing gun shots. This goes into “Natalia’s Song,” another downtempo, almost ambient song whose low frequency notes are complimented by its inaudible female chanting chorus. “Haunted” and “Basquiat” both show us some dramatic tension with clever piano work while keeping with the dark tone of the album. These bouncy percussions and low frequency notes are constant themes throughout the album, giving it a more dub feel rather than the traditional dubstep Zomby is known for.

Zomby’s minimalist approach on Dedication and their under saturation of most songs makes it clear that this album is more geared toward its accessibility as a remix album for other artists. Even in the short time the album has been out, a number of musicians have released their take on songs from Dedication. As a standalone album, however, this record just doesn’t have staying power. For those who aren’t already fans or plan of producing music anytime soon, there is not a whole lot of originality to be heard here.