Review 01: LTJ Bukem - Producer 01
Released: 0?/01/00AV
Genre: Electronic / Subgenre: Jungle DnB a/o Intelligent DnB & Downtempo
Watford native LTJ Bukem had heavy influence on what would become known as "Intelligent DnB". Intel. DnB is characterized by clear jazz influence alongside the break beats that make Jungle so addictive. Bukem navigates the sound with expertise, flaunting complex but catchy jazz loops into the mix from his classically trained background as well as hard hitting basslines that rock your ears. As the record runs, you lose track of time as the songs are paced very well despite being on the longer side by today's standards. If someone is looking for an introduction to the UK Jungle scene, Producer 01 is a gentle yet proper means to do so. It starts you off by getting you used to the sounds you will hear through the project and then eases you into the heavier aspects later on. Let's listen.
Track One is a seven minute interlude titled appropriately 'Cosmic Interlude'. As the song begins I can already feel myself enjoying it from the bass loop alone. This loop is reminiscent of the "Meep City Night Theme" from Roblox (obscure reference but that song is a 10/10 for me). The tone of this interlude is also set quickly with the accents heard echoing over the bass until the drums come knocking in. The structure of this song seems to focus it's attention on the tone switches. Moments of minor tension broken up with soft electric keys and more accenting. Just as the song is starting to become repetitive, Bukem (as if he is mixing this with you in mind) switches direction, giving us a break from the loop before heading into the final minute of the track. Although the loop has only been gone for less than a minute, when it makes it's return with new partners, you cease to remember the repetitive feeling from minutes before. An amazing start to the album.
Track Two instantly takes a dip in tone. Titled Constellation, this track is the sole song on the record that features vocals. The lyrics of this song seem to focus on music transporting you elsewhere. The style of the rap is consistent with the English Scene with flow influence from New York contemporaries of the same time and genre. I think this track is a great listen especially if you are listening intently. Noticing details like the whispers that DSR layers over his verse pulls the listener away from where they are grounded much like the song intended. As far as the production, a favorite for me is the strings within in the loops. I am an absolute sucker for strings especially the strings consistent with the late 90's and early 2000's. When the beat rides for the keys solo before the last verse, you get a chance to really hear those strings before the song fades off. I really enjoyed this song despite it being almost an outlier from the rest of the album.
Track Three is where we start to inch closer to the traditional jungle sound although I use 'inch' very literally. Unlike later tracks, this one remains subtle in its label. My first thought is downtempo but maybe not a specific sub-genre within it. The BPM sits at around 104 or 105 as opposed to the average BPM of 158 over the six songs that follow it. The chords feel very house-y which I love and I think suits the track immensely. While listening to the first two minutes of this song, the sub-bass will creep in for just moments at time preparing you for second-quarter of the track. The sub-bass hits hard and rounded, you can almost see the shape of it while listening. The echoing horns throughout the song are trance-like, it feels like I'm being hypnotized, snapped awake and instantly re-instated as the horns return. This cycle continues until you fully awaken only due to the volume lowering as the song fades out.
Track Four begins with what I can only describe as someone taking the term jungle literally. Partnered in the background with percussion are various chirps but closer to the foreground is what seems to be (in my opinion) a bit-crushed roar of some kind that starts anew every eight measures. I really love the idea of Bukem sitting down and deciding to center a jungle song around jungle sounds (even if I am not 100% on his intention or even that these sounds came from the jungle in the first place). The drums in this song are one of my favorite from the entire record despite this not being a favorite song as a whole. I think this song serves well as a transitionary track into the higher tempo theme of the rest of the album and prepares you for track five which I consider to be the second strongest, second most interesting and my overall second favorite on the album.
Track Five is titled 'Demon Theme'. As the track sets the tone for you, chirps are carried on from the previous track until the break begins. The drums are instantly weaker than the last song but this is not where 'Demon Theme' shines. Two minutes into the track, an echoing lead catches an unbelievable groove that immediately takes over. This section of the song is interrupted by a sampled singing voice that eases us into a new section of chaos. Many freshly introduced sounds start to swirl around your head at 145 BPM causing a hurricane circling your brain. Soon after, the 'calm' within this 'storm' appears in the form of flutes that end up blending the rest of the sounds into one. Once again, this off-key vocal sample serves as the start of the next section where we are met with warm synths and those familiar chirps from earlier. It feels like an off-color sun is breaking through the clouds of earlier. As the song enters it's final stretch, the chaos is gone and that catchy lead comes back to wrap everything up into a neat package. This new tone becomes the standard for the song, wiping your memory of the chaos the ensued minutes before. Switching between minute three and minute six feel like distant sonic cousins rather than two parts of the same track and I think this is absolutely a positive but also a theme of this album. It is dynamic and it shows track-to-track.
Track Six is our longest track on the records at just under nine minutes. The loop here has some sort of a filter which almost detunes it at times and I love that effect. The synths that work with this loop are slow and drone-like which leaves you wondering where this song will end up knowing that Bukem is both unpredictable and extremely talented at it too. 'Music' sits at the higher side with 155 BPM but somehow the song feels slow and paced. It is an amazing feeling. By minute four, I had found myself feeling like the song just began but we were already half way finished. The track is quick yet slow. It is heavy yet soft. It is both liquid and solid. Throughout this one, a sampled voice comes echoing both in and out like something out of Silent Hill until thick undistinguishable chords creep in to set the tone completely. 'Music' isn't one of my favorites as a song but the experience itself makes it. I think it is rare to find a track paced so perfectly.
Track Seven (my overall favorite) continues the long run time with the the last two songs totaling over seventeen minutes all by themselves. This song has a slow build but already starts to set the groove. The echo and melody used for this flute sample is one of the catchiest on the entire record. The bass on this track is definitely more subtle than the former songs but it is still rounded and impactful. As you hit the halfway point of 'Twilight Voyage' you get a closer listen to the sounds present in the song and this is one of my favorite sections. I don't have the proper words to describe the feeling they give me but it is like every sound is picked perfectly. Every soundwave is the exact one that I would specifically want. I find myself getting lost in this section just appreciating said sounds until the DnB returns for the final two minutes of the track. This song is one of the least dynamic of the record but somehow it doesn't feel repetitive, every second of those eight minutes is paced just as well as the previous track and that blows me away.
Track Eight begins unlike any of the other songs. 'Orchestral Jam' has an strong start as opposed to the soft build-ups we've been used to for the past seven tracks. The drums are glitchy and fast which the track gives us plenty of time in the first minute to appreciate until the melodies begin to slip in. Of course, this song is focused on strings but these strings aren't my favorite. I mentioned earlier in the review that the strings of this era are one of my biggest weaknesses but the ones present in this track just don't do it for me. Even when the bass is introduced about halfway through the song, I do not find myself getting the same feeling the record has produced so far. My favorite thing about this song are definitely the accenting done here and there. That being said, this song is on the weaker side for me and would be at best an 'okay' track. I do believe that this song is greater than 'okay' but might have the unfortunate task of following the almost perfect first seven tracks.
Track Nine is the where this amazing record comes to an end and from what I understand is Bukem's most popular track. Off-the-bat, this song has a chopped vocal sample (from which part of the title is taken) that is absolutely lovely. I think that the beginning of this song sets an amazing tone that gets me excited for the ending of this album. The keys, which are almost clav-like, are catchy and funky until they are cut-off. I think that I would've liked those keys to continue and carry the rest of the track with them in a different direction. They make their return alongside that vocal sample in the final minute of the record but without enough time to bring the song to a place I'd like to hear. I think this song reveals one of my worst habits which is gaining expectations in a track to only feel disappointed if it doesn't go where my head was thinking or somewhere better. This song set a tone that I got attached to and changed it. I believe that the song is still great but I am just a picky and pretentious brat who acts like he could've even made something this good.
Producer 01 is labeled by some as a compilation record rather than an actual album. I believe that without lyrics it can sometimes be difficult to keep an album coherent but Bukem did it masterfully. This project feel cohesive and paced beautifully. Sitting at 1hour and 13 minutes, each song works its runtime properly and keeps you engaged both mentally and physically. This record has plenty of moments where you cannot help but have a physical reaction to what is occurring even if you are not listening with full intent. This record is not abrasive but does have moments that wake you up and cause those reactions. With a slower, seemingly unsure start, the first three songs carry layers of influence that leave you guessing on the exact genre is would be considered. As you hit the middle four tracks, you feel entranced in the project unable to step out of it without effort. as you ease into the last two tracks which are the weakest in my opinion, you find yourself wondering what direction he will go and I love that feeling. Consistency is not bad but an artist who can leave you guessing is even better. As one of the first albums released in the new millennium I would say this record perfectly encapsulates the era and sets a great standard for the years to come.
8.3/10
-Hairklipz 28/02/24AV
