Too many
drum'n'bass artists rely on obvious cliches, leading critics to dismiss the genre on the whole as repetitive. Like
Roni Size before him,
Adam F hopes to change all that, adding some intriguing spice to the typical, skittering breakbeats-meet-bottomless basslines sonic stew. Opening with the
blaxploitation funk of
"73" -- chunky wah-wah guitar, bopping congas, rollicking drumbeats and all --
Adam F makes his desire for diversity clear right from the get-go.
Drum'n'bass is merely the template from which he launches his heady sonic excursions, flowing seamlessly from the straightforward
jungle of
"Metropolis" into the brilliantly accessible
soul of
"Music in My Mind," which boasts dreamy keyboards and a vocoder melody
Midnight Starr would kill for. The rest of the album is similarly diverse, from the
ambient atmospheres of
"Mother Earth" to the strangely gorgeous
pop of
"The Tree Knows Everything," which features vocals by
Everything But the Girl's
Tracey Thorn. For purists, there's also a
Grooverider remix of
"Dirty Harry" and
Size's reworking of
"Circles," but
Colours offers something to please just about every
techno fan. ~ Bret Love