Articles
Spotlight 10
Ten Favourite Labels 2013

Albums
52 Commercial Road
Chantal Acda
David Åhlén
Daniel Bortz
Peter Broderick
Brass Mask
bvdub / bvdub & loscil
Colorlist
Dale Cooper Quartet
Cuushe
Jack Dangers
Deco
Deetron
DFRNT
Egbert
The Foreign Exchange
Nils Frahm
Bjarni Gunnarsson
Robert Haigh
Marihiko Hara & Polar M
John Heckle
Arve Henriksen
Joy Wellboy
Kaboom Karavan
KILN
Land of Kush
Jessy Lanza
Last Days
L.B. Dub Corp
Lights Dim with Gallery Six
Livity Sound
Moskitoo
MUfi.re
Oddisee
Om Unit
Ø [Phase]
Raudive
Matana Roberts
Sakamoto + Deupree
Secret Pyramid
Quentin Sirjacq
Sleeper
Sonicbrat
Special Request
Stratosphere & Serries
Thisquietarmy
Ricardo Tobar
Tom Trago

Compilations / Mixes
Foundland
In The Dark
Mathias Kaden

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Anduin
Anile / Lm1 & Kharm
Cursa
Gerwin & Nuage ft. 2Shy
Hessien
Jon McMillion
Miaou

CD-Vinyl-DVD
Seaman and Tattered Sail

Om Unit: Threads
Civil Music

Formally speaking, Threads is the debut album from London-based producer Jim Coles under the Om Unit name, but in actual fact it's his fourth full-length, arriving as it does after a number of releases under the 2tall name (which he retired in 2008) issued during the 2000s. Regardless, Threads is an impressive recording, one that stands out for the quality of its craft and its broad stylistic scope. Multiple genres are referenced but not at the expense of cohesiveness, and one comes away from Threads with an appreciation for it as a thoroughly well-resolved album of considerable ambition rather than as a mere assemblage of fifteen tracks.

Om Unit EPs have appeared in recent years on drum'n'bass-associated labels such as Goldie's Metalheadz and dBridge's Exit Records, but Threads isn't a full-on drum'n'bass album by any stretch of the imagination, even if evidence of Coles' jungle roots are audible in specific tracks (e.g., “Jaguar,” “Wicker and Pearl,” “Governer's [sic] Bay”). It would be more accurate to say that while Coles's various influences—dubstep, hip-hop, jungle, et al.—are present with the album material, they're deeply embedded within the music's DNA. Helping to make the set feel like a complete experience is its sequencing, with Coles thoughtfully segueing between vocal and instrumental cuts as well as head-nodding and high-energy moments.

The album includes a plentiful number of memorable moments. As an opener, the resplendent, synth-heavy instrumental “Folding Shadows” bodes well for what's to come, something “The Silence” lives up to in coupling a memorably emotive vocal performance by Jinadu (that sounds surprisingly Sting-like in Jinadu's title enunciation) with a lush downtempo backing. In a manner that echoes footwork, Coles combines two contrasting tempi in the track, one for the slow vocal melodic lines and the other the faster, dubstep-influenced percussive accompaniment. The wobble of a dubstep bass surfaces amidst the jungle drumsmithing of “Jaguar,” its graceful stealth refracted by “Governer's Bay” into something considerably more foreboding and intricate. Other instrumentals like “Reverse Logic” and “Deep Sea Pyramid” pulsate with creamy synth chords and funky, dubbed-out drum'n'bass rhythms. His hip-hop side comes to the fore during the harp-coloured “Jus' Sayin',” which features a dramatic MC turn by Gone The Hero, and Coles' handling of sound design impresses, too, as evidenced by a representative track such as “Nagual,” which entrances with a wide-screen, dubstep-inflected presentation.

November 2013