Ajedi – Box in a Bubble
Ajedi is a solo producer from Switzerland. His works combine drum n bass, alternative rock, edm and traces of dystopian vibes. His sophomore album, Box in a Bubble, contains some truly striking moments. The standouts are truly above the rest. Allheit is dazzling as it is cubic. The Uncommon Listener (feat Lokick) is strikingly cold, and unapologetically catchy and distorted. Bricks is compelling and twisted. Even outside the cream of the top, many of the songs feature remarkable moments.
Where Box in a Bubble suffers is in its consistency; many tracks are undeveloped and lack any progression within their short track length. This is a shame, since some of the best ideas are contained within these short sections, such as during the erratic Death and its lustrous rainbow-like follow-up WR 104. Furthermore, Dogmeat shows that drum n bass still has quite a lot to offer in the auditory spectrum, and Hook’s maddening atmosphere should have seriously been further developed. Suffice to say, Ajedi demonstrates he can handle longer song structures with creative and dynamic drum progressions, such as during the imaginatively erratic LOVE.
Beyond the development of its ideas, the album does have one other glaring issue; the tail end of the album is noticeably of lesser quality than the rest, which lessens the experience ever-so-slightly. Not only do Crack in the Box, Fuck Your Lifestyle and An Ending Flat and Insane Beyond Belief sound indistinguishable from their stronger preceding tracks, they offer very little to the cannon of drum and bass. Paired with the five 1-minute earlier tracks, it’s evidently clear Ajedi had run out of ideas and rushed the end of the project.
Fortunately, the first half of the album is strong enough to recommend as is. Moreover, the production is clear and well executed. Issues aside, Ajedi is perhaps the strongest drum and bass producer in the underground scene today. While his tracks are rather conventional, his sounds are anything but; they are brimming with life and personality. Furthermore, recent works have melded more genres than before, alluding Ajedi to a strong and successful future. It’s very interesting to see where he will go next.
Good
Listen to it here:
Ajedi – Box in a Bubble
