Zomby - Nothing

• A1 - Labyrinth
• A2 - Digital Fractal
• A3 - Equinox
• B1 - Sens
• B2 - It Was All A Dream
• B3 - Trapdoor
• B4 - Ecstasy Version

Note: videos may not match the album...

For someone so notorious, it came as a surprise when Zomby quietly retreated to the background shortly after the release of his debut album, the rave-inspired Where Were U In 92? (2008). One of the UK’s most talked about new producers at the time, his unexpected hiatus was to last nearly two years and upon the announcement that his second album, Dedication, had been made, it had become clear just why he had been away.

Dedication was a sombre, dark and thrilling album, recorded in lasting tribute to a close family member who had sadly lost their battle with cancer the previous year. An after-hours lamentation on mortality, weighed down with an audible sadness, Dedication also offered a rare glimpse of the persona of someone who prefers anonymity and little fanfare. The response to it was fairly unanimous; Zomby had written a modern masterpiece.

Nothing will come as a further reward to fans. Coming at the end of a busy year, like Dedication, it too shows just how far of the rest of the pack Zomby really is. Some might see it as a seven-track companion piece to Dedication yet it also offers something of a bridge between his two albums to date. Considerably lighter in shade, even the artwork is reflective of this contrast – Dedication’s v23 designed sleeve a tombstone; Nothing a pure burst of light.

Again, the music tells its own story. While the trademark arpeggios and lilting melodies that have always characterized Zomby’s music are still present, what is startling is the breadth of styles channeled in just twenty-two minutes. Case in point is opener ‘Labyrinth’, an unabashed homage to early 90s hardcore. With perhaps one of the clearest vocals to feature on a Zomby record to date, it affronts with its directness. From there on, Nothing runs a gamut of sonic textures, drawing on jungle, rave, techno and grime in equal and unpredictable measure. Indeed, the immaculately titled closing track ‘Ecstasy Versions’ is a perfect condensing of Zomby’s muse, and an open door into his future. Wherever that might lead.

Nothing is being released on 4AD as a limited edition white vinyl 12” with download coupon

TRACKLISTING:

Labyrinth / Digital Fractal / Equinox / Sens / It Was All A Dream / Trapdoor / Ecstasy Versions

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