Sharp as Folded Steel

On his debut album, Mura Masa displays a honed skill, much more than one might expect from a relatively new player in the genre of EDM. His music is chill at times, energetic at others, and always fun to listen to. The big name features that Mura Masa employs on these tracks will certainly turn a number of heads, but under the hood the production on every song is just as noteworthy as the features. He places songs that lean close to hip hop right along songs that stay closer to traditional dance or pop tunes. His influences come from across the world and that gives a very accessible feel to his music. He’s is about to be a huge name in the dance scene, if he isn’t one already.

Mura Masa’s talents mostly manifest themselves in pop songs that have a lot of mainstream potential, but the thing that is great about his music is the variety of sounds that he uses to create his melodies. The first song, “Messy Love” demonstrates this well with its strange chimes and contorted vocal samples he uses in the climax of the song. On the other end of the spectrum, he uses low synths and powerful kick drums to create hip hop beat on “All Around The World” with Desiigner. That leads to another thing he executes well on this project; he knows how to effectively place his guests. Every song is perfectly tailored to the person providing vocals. Imagine “NOTHING ELSE!” without Jamie Lidell or “Firefly” without Nao — they just wouldn’t be the same.

If there is a problem with Mura Masa’s project it’s that he relies almost too heavily on the guests that he brings on to his songs. Each individual song on this project is great for a number of reasons, but when you put them all together, their cohesion as an album is less defined. It would be great if Mura Masa could spin his great production into a project that explores a particular theme and allows him to showcase his talents more prominently. Other than that small caveat, this is a great project with songs that could stay in rotation well into the future. “What If I Go?” is already very recognizable, and if he continues like this, Mura Masa could become a household name. If you are looking for some dance tracks with great features, definitely check out this album.