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Hyperdub label figurehead Goodman's sparse and eerily inhuman beats, both spatial and spacey, invade the outer reaches of your hearing with silent coup virulence. But Black Sun also has the gears to switch up from slow-building subtlety. Where a pair of initial brain feeders – Black Smoke and Promises – contain much spiritual fulfilment, Am I subsequently drops with the propulsion of Rhythm and Stealth-era Leftfield had they been kidnapped by Lee "Scratch" Perry during one of his more lucid periods.
Having been instrumental in the manner the duo have emphasised the 'dub' into dubstep, then swiftly transcended the genre entirely, Gordon's deep, conscious vocal wisdom continues a commitment to reimagining dub's Rastafarian soul as an alien musical force. He has sweet-larynxed back-up here too, though, from Shanghai-based singer Cha Cha, who grasps the baton for three consecutive tracks that pull at the senses. At junctures such as Love is the Drug, the results wield similar effects to fellow Hyperdub project King Midas Sound, an almost academic antithesis to basic base-level bass that has consumed many compatriots.
As Black Sun's evocative mantle screams, the record hums with a menacing darkness. Yet it's not paranoid urban dread, more an unknown extraterrestrial force stalking your moods. Bullet Against Bone, for one, is a perfect illustration of the bassbin ghosts marching through the record. After blasting beyond gravity and mortal atmospheres, it's fitting that Black Sun should launch its final descent to Earth with closing collaboration and live set staple Kryon, featuring solar system-cracking kindred spirit Flying Lotus, switching on the atmospheric synth afterburners to lush effect. When a lunar time capsule next needs a musical artefact of almost indeterminable age, Kode9 & The Spaceape are your men.
--Adam Kennedy
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Customer Reviews
Spaceape starts proceedings with sinister intent, `Under a spell of a random feeling/Weak, agitated, momentary breathing'. Considering it's dark content, you would think the album was all murky tones, claustrophobic bass and jarring beats. You'd be right, but there is also an uptempo immediacy throughout the album covering a variety of styles typical of the mongrel spirit of British bass music.
There's no standout track, the album is uniformly good throughout. The best tracks are the most surprising ones, 'Hole in the sky', 'Otherman' and 'Kryon' may lack the zip and residual bass of most of the other tracks but offer glimpses of new futures born from the decay of old ones. There is an awkwardness and unpredictability throughout most of the album which is really interesting. The album sounds alien but completely human at the same time, a reflection of the narrative tension that exists in this decaying other-world. Both Kode9 and Spaceape have loosened up for the better, though the guest vocalist Cha-Cha was underused, or rather underexposed alongside Spaceape's dread-poetry and Kode9's apocalyptic beats.
'Black Sun' is a proper slow-burner, no pun intended, and it took a fair few listens for it to sink in and make sense. Kode9 and Spaceape have thrown another curveball with an accomplished but unpolished album, intensely enjoyable and deeply unsettling in equal measure.
The productions are second-to-none and don't rely solely on the same old 2-step beats. The kick drums are deep and hit you in chest and the bass lines throb like nobody's business. The Spaceape is also a very talented lyricist and an intriguing vocalist; granted he is not a "singer" - more of a poet - but it only adds to the mood, especially when coupled with Cha Cha's understated yet haunting melodies. Whatever time of day you listen to this, it will instantly make you wish for darkness so you can feel its effect even more. I love to listen to this when i'm driving in the city at night. Immense!
Its hard to pick stand-out tracks on a concept album, because I don't personally think its the sort of album where you can just pick a few tracks off to throw on a mixtape. It works best listening from start to finish. That being said, I will contradict myself slightly to say its only weakness is that one or two of the tracks don't really go anywhere, which is the only reason I haven't given this a full 5 stars.
Definitely one of my favourite albums of 2011.
The problem for me comes from the depressing lyrics and unconvincing vocal stylings of the Spaceape. Neither of these two aspects are necessarily failings in themselves (I am a Bernard Sumner fan after all!) but on this occasion the overall impact is as unedifying, uninspiring and dismal as a Tuesday night episode of Eastenders.
To sum up in the hackneyed style of any Eastenders character you care to mention: "Pardon my bruvva [the Spaceape], he's had a charisma bypass".
Approach with caution. Give us a dub version please Hyperdub.
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