Ok, so the monkey’s slightly late on this one because it’s been out for the best part of a month but, yes, Freedust are back with their third LP, ‘Voyager.’ The two-track taster for the Voyager LP dropped at the start of June promising a Wax Tailor-meets-Black Pumas vibe with elements of Mr. Scruff, Belleruche, Jungle, Sault, Bonobo, Sharon Jones and Morcheeba, disco, boom-bap, gospel and reggaeton. Blimey! So what you want to know is – how did Daniele Carmosino (for Freedust is now, to all intents and purposes, him producing and collaborating with a host of others) manage with that concept across the entire sixteen-track LP set? Let’s find out.
1. HOME feat, Ni’elle
Starts with just Ni’elle’s ethereal vocals over piano, adds in a rolling drum break and by the time the strings turn up it’s like one of Morcheeba’s more epic moments.
2. YOU SHAKIN’ MAMA
You askin’? Picks up the tempo with a Robert Parker-sample-based dancefloor groover that wouldn’t have sounded out of place at the tail end of the 90s…
3. ROLL OFF ME
Someone say ‘tail end of the 90s’ – this one’s like a funky Odelay-era Beck cut with female lead vox i.e. Luscious Jackson or Imani Coppola.
4. WEIGHT UP feat. Bardo
Native Tongues vibes as Bardo gives it large over a phat and jazzy drum break but takes a left turn into hip-hop/ rnb crossover for the hook.
5. YOUR LOVE FUELS ME UP
Love fuels you up? One thing’s for sure, your love certainly offers fluffy late 90s electronic pop vibes.
6. MOVE
That’s more like it as a driving drum break and jazzy piano give it an All-Seeing I-type groove…
7. LOOK AT ME
…and the beat goes on, because that’s pretty much what you get here too but even better.
8. DEEP DOWN IN YOUR SOUL feat. Mabreezee
Meanwhile Mabreezee goes for an almost Rag N Bone Man credible soul-pop effort…
9. COME WITH ME feat. Saphie Wells
…while Saphie Wells gives it her best sultry on this chilled funky pop groove – and yes, perhaps nods to one of Morcheeba’s cheerier numbers.
10. GLOW UP QUEEN
Speaking of pop…
11. BOSS BAE
That’s better – speakeasy jazz meets 90s midtempo grooves.
12. BETTER MAN feat. Rebecca Houlihan
Another uptempo 90s-style groover…
13. ARE YOU READY feat. DJ Kamo
…and then we’re pretty much into the jazzier, soulier end of big beat – looking in the Allergies’ direction. Absolutely no complaints here.
14. PLAYING WITH MY HEART feat. Ni’elle
Second turn from Ni’elle but grittier, more uptempo and arguably better to boot.
15. CAN YOU HEAR ME feat. Chesy
Yes, I can hear you, Clem Fandango – er – I mean Chesy. Can we get it to head in a Morcheeba direction again. Yep – bit more emoting then…
16. MOVING ON feat. Dorothy K
…just leaving time to finish on – well – an almost jazzy-pop-house direction. Didn’t see that coming. Moving on.
COMMENTS: Clearly the 90s loom incredibly large over this one and there are any number of tracks that draw from hip-hop, trip-hop and soul of that decade while nodding also to the soul and jazz of even earlier decades – as such genres in the 90s often did. Indeed many tracks will either remind you of your favourite classics from the classier end of the 90s pop charts or suggest lost cuts from said era. All-in-all an accomplished set. File alongside Say She She – not so much because they and Freedust sound similar – but because what they share is belonging to an alternative universe where autotune, trap and grime never influenced 2020s pop.
BEST TRACKS:
Roll Off Me, Weight Up (feat. Bardo), Look At Me, Boss Bae, Are You Ready feat. DJ Kamo, Playing With My Heart (feat. Ni’elle)
(Out 14 June on Danca)