Shapeshifter - Soulstice (Album)
Drum and Bass, or DnB as the genre will be referred to for the rest of this review, is for me a large unknown. My distant impression of it has always been that it is more syncopated and deeper than typical dance music and, like techno and all of its close and distant family, should strictly be listened to in clubs. Enter New Zealand’s Shapeshifter with their latest release, Soulstice, to educate me.
Shapeshifter are not your typical DnB crew. A lot of their instrumentation is played live, including the drums. Their sound is conscious, possibly an influence of their countrymen and early touring partners, Salmonella Dub, with the songs reflecting a love of truth and earth. Three vocalists are featured, two male and one female. This mixes up the sound of the seventy minute album which might have otherwise made for tedious listening.
Apart from the heavy beat I would consider this an ambient trip hop record. Not quite as minimalist as Portishead but would not sound astray as a Ninja Tune release. The first few tracks lull you in by introducing the theme without the hard DnB elements and then when you are hooked they drop the beat. This MO is particularly well used on the bossa-novaesque second song, 'In the Rain', with its mellow bass, acoustic guitar and brass section. Another influence on the band is the NZ RnB scene and this can best be heard on 'Southern Lights'. Held down by a solid hip hop beat it has a retro keyboard riff with the rapped verses and a soulfully sung chorus. And for the purists, the most pure DnB offerings are 'Stryka', 'Electric Dreams' and 'One'. These three contain in your face synthesizers and beats and consequently should be turned up loud.
Another highlight comes late in the album with the penultimate song, 'The Ride'. Aptly named, it takes the listener on a journey through a vast aural landscape taking its time to reach the rhythmic climax. When it does arrive, it is not abrasive as some of the other beats on this album are but instead compliments the double bass.
Even with the varying levels in energy the total sound is hypnotic and could be listened to both on a dance floor or in a darkened room on a high fidelity stereo. This is due to its expansive production values courtesy of Evan Short of Concord Down, a duo which share both homeland and music taste with Shapeshifter.
If all DnB sounds like this then I can see myself getting into this genre a lot more in the future.
