Blockhead - The Music Scene
Review by Jack Foley
AFTER the relative disappointment of his sophomore Downtown Silence LP, Blockhead returns with a brilliant third album, The Music Scene.
A hip hop producer and DJ from New York, Tony Simon – aka Blockhead – is renowned as one of Ninja Tune’s most talented acts, whose music is often based around the hip hop template. Tracks like Insomniac Olympics remain classics.
But for The Music Scene he has expanded his horizons by adopting the Ableton – which means that rather than working from “one basic beat and building off it” (the standard hip hop model), he has begun stringing together multiple beats and weaving them together into increasingly complex, surprising and generally satisfying pieces of music.
Simon himself explains: “I made each song a little more of a musical journey than anything I have ever done before.”
As such, the tracks are even more richly cinematic, while comparisons abound with the likes of fellow Ninja label-mate Bonobo and even DJ Shadow.
And the quality is evident from the outset, with early album highlight and opener It’s Raining Clouds setting the standard early. The tune starts off in downtempo fashion, with an anguished, bluesy vocal screaming out over a foreboding hip hop back-beat, and ending with a drum ‘n’ bass workout that’s actually quite invigorating. Eastern-influenced flutes weave their way in and out, too, lending the track a multi-cultural, cross genre vibe that’s also richly visual for the more fertile imaginations.
Title track The Music Scene, meanwhile, unfolds with a sample of an old record before dropping another infectious rhythm and a truly foot-tapping beat. It’s compulsive listening and a great follow-up to the opener.
Attack The Doctor, a few tracks on, thrives from its infectious bassline loop and energetic break beats, before eventually breaking out into some lush vocal harmonising that would leave the Glee cast proud, and The Prettiest Sea Slug invites us into an underwater exploration of the jazziest vibes, complete with plenty of horn sections.
Self-confessed album showpiece The Daily Routine then drops to fully unveil the scope of Blockhead’s ambition. An exploration of drug addiction based a round a found recording of addicts arguing, it’s even described by the producer as “the creepiest song” he’s ever made. It’s dark, haunted, tripped out and pretty unforgettable after a couple of listens.
Fortunately, he picks up the vibe immediately, with the upbeat funk of the African influenced Tricky Turtle, which begins like an homage to Blaxploitation era cinema and ends in a voodoo powered orgy that comes straight out of the Middle East.
Hell Camp drops a playful old-time movie sample before fleet-footing its way into a flute-laden breeze, while final track Farewell Spaceman rounds things off like an outtake from Bewitched before building towards an ecstatic, chugging flight off into the stars that’s utterly thrilling.
In short, Blockhead has become essential once again. The Music Scene is must-own music.
Download picks: It’s Raining Clouds, The Music Scene, Attack The Doctor, The Daily Routine, Tricky Turtle, Hell Camp, Farewell Spaceman
Track listing: