Timeless

Album review

Goldie's full-length debut built on the momentum of several singles as Rufige Kru and Metalheads that helped establish jungle and drum'n'bass in the early 1990s. Signing with Pete Tong's FFRR, he crafted an ambitious, introspective statement that drew from his upbringing as a breakdancer and graffiti artist, incorporating influences from soul, hip-hop, and jazz fusion into deeply emotive compositions filled with lush synths and tough, gravity-defying breakbeats. Much of the album's production and programming was done by Rob Playford (2 Bad Mice, Kaotic Chemistry), with 4Hero's Marc Mac and Dego engineering and contributing additional production, but it's all clearly Goldie's vision, and he essentially acts as a director for an audio film about his life to that point (with the 1998 follow-up Saturnz Return being even more of a widescreen autobiographical epic). The album's opening title track is a 21-minute suite constructed with sweeping, nearly orchestral synths and tumbling breakbeats, and most importantly, the soaring vocals of Mancunian diva Diane Charlemagne. The main section of the suite was released as a single, "Inner City Life," which eventually hit the Top 40 in the U.K. and has endured as one of jungle's defining anthems. Almost all of the remaining tracks are just as strong, in different ways. "Saint Angel" (one of a few songs upgraded from earlier versions released as singles) is a euphoric burst of energy glimmering with twisted Hoovers and Blade Runner samples, with some of jungle's most exciting buildups and payoffs ever. Its sister, "Angel," also with Charlemagne, is significantly less giddy, tempering its darkside edge with mellower vibes and simple, hopeful lyrics. "Kemistry," named after the pioneering drum'n'bass DJ who was Goldie's girlfriend when the song was first written in 1992, remains the album's most devastating moment, with Charlemagne's voice ascending to the stratosphere over confoundingly complex beat patterns and deep, tunneling bass. "Sea of Tears" is one of the record's other unforgettable highlights, a 12-minute inner-child confession graced by Pat Metheny-style lead guitar, choppy live drums, and dolphin cries. "A Sense of Rage" starts out with a slow electro-funk bassline and looped sighs before attacking with faster breaks, a drawn-out hip-hop sample, and an aggressive yet spacy bassline. "State of Mind" is closer to a conventional R&B tune, with harps, somewhat loose drums, and jazzy basslines, revolving around Lorna Harris' confident vocals. She also appears on "You & Me," which initially seems like a sort of uptempo orchestral soul tune before getting swept away into heavier breakbeats and hallucinatory effects. The only track that lands with a dull thud is the acid jazz slog "Adrift," but it's easily skippable, and does nothing to diminish the sheer impact and significance of the album. Timeless was a major breakthrough, hitting the Top Ten in the U.K. upon release and earning across-the-board praise as one of the best albums of 1995, and several decades later, it remains a singularly powerful experience.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo