After a slew of promising EPs and singles on Hyperdub, Darkstar returns with their debut LP release ‘North’. The duo has ditched the deep bass sound and set to release a synth pop record. For such a fresh act is the post dub-step movement, I expected some sleek hyper complex sounds, but ‘North’ is not what most fans were probably expecting.
They sacrificed the glitchy pinpoint bleeps and bloops and focused in on washing synths and minimalist percussion lines over simple chord progressions. The vocals take center stage this time around. Just about every track features vocals from Neleswa, who has a slow burning soft voice. They keep the idea fresh on each track by using lots of voice modulation to make it a fully electronic experience.
Although the new direction Darkstar is taking makes ‘North’ something that needs to be checked out, there isn’t much replay value with all the simplicity going on, even for a pop record. It sounds like they’re trying to recreate or pay homage to the sounds of yesterday’s electronic producers who started the movement, which of course is understandable. But if you’re looking for a quick easy listen when you’re brain is aching from all the complexity of modern electronic, Darkstar is a worthy listen to ease the mind.
