Wagon Christ

Sorry I Make You Lush

[Ninja Tune; 2004]

Styles: trip-hop, ambient breakbeat, IDM
Others: Bruce Haack, Thievery Corporation, Mr. Scruff

Luke Vibert is one of the finest producers in electronic music today. Never content resting on tired formulas, his Wagon Christ alias has ventured in about all manner of abstract instrumental hip-hop, R&B flavored drum and bass, and richly stringed IDM. From the sounds of it, he seems to be chronologically following up YosepH (released under his own name last year) more than 2001’s Musupial, with the latter’s emphasis on a Tobin-like flow and hip-hop basing to an overly uptempo album. Sorry I Make You Lush sees the Vibert crisp synthetic/acidic production applied to a quicker average pacing than his last Warp release seemingly tearing a page out of the Nightmares On Wax’s playbook and reassembling it with a few off-the-wall samples, like a gym teacher’s whistle or an 8-bit Nintendo synth bleep. He keeps the same essential easygoing vibe alive but undercuts it with some superbly executed sub-bass hinting at a touch of evil just below the serene surface. Counterbalancing this is a series of well-constructed ambient breaks that put Freq Nasty’s pop-club mix to shame. Vibert may outwardly portray a tendency toward cheesiness but his complex production yet clean overall sound clearly demonstrates a level of skill and passion unattainable for most. It’s no fluke; he is the only musician to have released a full-length for Warp, Ninja Tune, Mo’ Wax, and Rephlex. He’s the real deal, folks, and he’ll be around for a long time to come.

1. Saddic Gladdic
2. I’m Singing
3. The Funnies
4. Shadows
5. Quadra & Discos
6. Ubformby
7. Sci-Fi Showcase
8. Sorry I Made You Lush
9. Kwikwidetrax
10. Nighty Night
11. Reciever [multimedia track]

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