On the fidget-heavy ‘Ultra’, the elusive Zomby makes his latest advancements within a distorted genre that’s increasingly becoming self-defined.
Careering from untenable to brilliantly overwhelming, the 13 tracks here mark the masked musician’s return to Hyperdub, the cult label that contributed to him surpassing his initial moves into the burgeoning scene of underground UK garage.
Opening 'Ultra' is the doom-inducing Reflection, which spirals tentatively at first before being taken by an inevitable and formidable loss of control and consciousness. "There are fools all around us," repeats a commanding voice.
The album plays out like an imagined drug deal on Silk Road, among scattered, soliciting, unknown evils far from any watchful eye. Zomby's unique ability to compose rhythms that independently form a dialogue wander through the mind, stimulating anxiety, hope, fear and adrenaline simultaneously.
ESP is the standout track here and features Zomby’s skill at experimenting with noise and melody, creating a fractured trance which stimulates imagined visuals. Zomby is also joined by Darkstar on Quandary and the two producers swing their signature, pendulum-esque tempos, juxtaposing jarring beat patterns which slowly marry up to create a meditative and intuitively pleasurable sonic journey.
The exceptional state of fluidity and tension that weaves each moment together on 'Ultra' pushes Zomby further from any other competitor in his field. Here, the higher state of thinking and feeling his music represents is as spiritual as it is hedonistic.
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