Broadcast

Album review

Hyetal's debut brushes the lines between post-dubstep and dark bass electro with crystallized clarity. The Bristol-based artist's full-length effort is a confident glide from his cluster of 12" releases to a serious record. A brooding yet clean album, Broadcast is the vision of an artist whose youth obsession with synths and classic electronic scores from the likes of Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter is realized here. A hazy mix of retro soundtrack sounds with precise techno basslines is effervescently displayed on the track "Beach Scene," whose reverb-laden drums are pure '80s-referencing bliss. The track "Diamond Islands" is a warm and melodic vocal-lead trip with stuttering soft dubstep percussion. Futuristic but not dystopian, the album hits its full stride with the powerful "Searchlight"; the dark sonic undercurrent throughout the track swirls around dramatically and the "Let No Man Put Asunder" vocal sample gives a nod to his classic house and disco influences as well as adding ferocity and immediacy to the track. It would be unfair to label Broadcast as a dubstep album, as this is a record that catches the spirit of each genre it is influenced by. From the warbly dubstep bass to the melodic, Stratosfear-esque synth melodies, this is promising first album from a producer whose vision goes beyond the archetypal post-dubstep artist and only promises more.
© Aneet Nijjar /TiVo