S.P.Y — Dubplate Style

Tik — Tak — — — TikTak — Tik — Tak — — — TikTak -

Album score: 8.3
Audio score: 8.8

Equipment:

Source: Local FLAC files
DAC: Topping D30 Pro
Amp: Topping A30 Pro
Cans: Audeze LCD — X
EQ: Small bass-boost and small boost around 4kHz

Album review:

Score: 8.3

This album is great. It’s a brilliant mix of Jungle and raw Drum & Bass. It’s medium-dark and enjoyable for the whole family. Okay maybe not the whole family, but you get what I mean. It’s a great gateway for people to get into the darker stuff.

It’s an album that makes you want more and more. Stellar percussion dances on a foundation of delicious bass. “Ruffneck” is a great example of this. If you don’t want to hear this drop with 16 “F221” subwoofers in front of you, then I don’t know what to tell you. I want all the hairs on my body to be blown backward by the air pressure. And this track is not an exception. The album is packed with total bangers.

The mixture of raw Drum & Bass and Jungle percussion works so well that it reminds me of Tessela, the god of percussion (check “Tessela — Gateway” for reference). The Jungle elements of “See Your Face Again” and “Open Your Eyes” make the album feel at home during daytime. Dark Drum & Bass/Jungle that’s suitable for daytime listening? Oh yes. What a combo.

Jungle is a huge theme throughout the album. Basslines, percussion, Rastafari one-liners, it’s all there. But where a lot of the music from the Jungle genre sounds unbalanced to me, with way too many cheap soundboard sounds like horns, police sirens and self-destructive levels of reverb and echo (and don’t even get me started on pull-ups), this album is spot on. Some of these soundboard sounds are there, but in a way that it gives depth to the music. It makes it interesting and beautiful to listen to. Besides this, the percussion is top-notch. “Rudeboy Step” being an example to illustrate. It’s just so on-point. S.P.Y makes it sound easy, which it isn’t.

There are so many bangers on this album, and all of them have that little bit of extra substance to take it one step further. “Billy No Mates” for example, has an absolutely delicious drop. It’s so so so good. But then, spoiler alert, the drop isn’t done yet. Things get turned up to 11 and go next level. It is above and beyond. The upside of having so many bangers is simultaneously a weakness: it sounds more like a compilation than an album. There is little connection between tracks and I can’t pick up a story throughout. It’s basically one big pile of awesomeness. And with a duration of 1:19:35, a big pile it is.

Audio review:

Score: 8.8

YES. YEEEEEES. This is how electronic music is supposed to sound. Powerful, authoritative, dark, lots of long lasting echoes and reverbs sinking away in the background. Wide, open, 3D. Nothing sounds sharp. And and and …. Man this album sounds so incredibly good. It’s the type of music that you have to be careful with not to damage your hearing. You can basically crank up the volume as loud as you want without it feeling unpleasant. Quite the contrary: loud = delicious with this album. And it doesn’t just sound pleasant and good, it sounds interesting. It’s engaging. It’s energy inducing. When I listen to this, I am right where I want to be.

It’s not perfect though. Small mistakes happen here and there. The opening of “Landslide” is an example. Not nearly as pleasant as the rest of the album. Besides that there is a bit of sibilance here and there, but nothing to throw me out of the mood. I just mention it for completeness. It doesn’t bother me.

“Whole In The Speaker” is a good example of how amazing this album sounds. Sounds are flying around my head, everything is buttery smooth, and it sounds so so impressive. Smooth and impressive is a great combo in music. It is one of the things that made me fall in love with electronic music: the way soundwaves glide into your ear as if they are wearing silk gloves while packing more punch than any other type of music. This album hits the nail on the head. Room for improvement? Always. Sometimes there is a little bit of “oomph” missing in the sub-bass. But overall, man oh man, what an album.

What album should I review next? Let me know in the comments or at:

soundgeekreviews@gmail.com