Raffertie - Mass Appeal

Raffertie returns with a sweet new EP on Ninja Tune. Here yer boy displays his fine skill for chopping and breaking. 'Mass Appeal' is an almost funkified take on the Dubstep genre with Prince-esque pitched up soul melodies battling for room in the clutter of scattered beats and orchestral synth hits. Once you get used to the stuttered approach the groove really hits. Brings to mind a Dubstep equivalent of Debruit's funky cut-up style. 'One Track Mind' is decidedly more low-key with sub-tropical beats and little arpeggio's playing on a canvas of ambient voices and intertwined pads. It's a tense, dramatic affair that builds to a logical but satisfying Carpenter-esque conclusion. Flip it and 'Brevity' begins with a barrage of found scrapes and bangs that evolve into an abstract Electro-Funk workout with undeniably mental beats. This is topped off with a vocal loop that commands you to 'Come On' and 'Lets Go'. It's the standout track here and a testament to the possibility of minimalist Electro-Funk. Dam_F would be proud. This evolves into 'Courage Boy' and sees the electro vibe evolve into an intellectualised Dubstep groove full of minimalist surprises including a ghostly vocal that drifts in and out of the mix with alarming regularity. All in all you gotta hand it to Raffertie - the guy knows how to mix it up and on 'Mass appeal' he does just that. Right, that's enough. I'm well reviewed out. I'm full of reviews.