Again the tracklisting
reads like a virtual who's who of the label's roster, with all of the main
players being present and accounted for - see Burial, Kode9, Ikonika, and Darkstar
to name only the most obvious. This time though, the focus is placed firmly on
music residing at the more ambient end of the label's output.
A generous 23 tracks are
showcased, and the most striking thing - aside from the ethereal and atmospheric
nature of the music - is the almost complete absence of orthodox vocals. For
example, we wait until track 12 - Cooly G's 'Mind' - before there's anything
resembling a fully decipherable non-chopped up or sampled vocal.
Which is all well and
good, but the effect can be a little disorientating, and there's perhaps a
tendency for a lot of the tracks to blend together, forming an almost
borderless sonic mash. Which means that although it remains an enjoyable enough
listen - mostly mellow and downbeat, but not always - it's difficult not to get
a little lost in it.
The two Burial tracks,
the eerie 'In McDonald's', and the slightly spookier 'Night Bus', are welcome
additions, but each one feels like a snapshot of what might be, and there's
disappointment that neither track really goes anywhere. Having said that, I do
appreciate that sometimes less is more, and even half-formed Burial ideas can
take innovation to a level more conventional artists can only ever dream about.
Overall 10.3 offers yet
more impressive evidence that music released by Hyperdub is practically
impossible to categorise (as much as I’ve repeatedly tried to do exactly that
over the course of three reviews!). If the '10' series is proving anything at
all, it's that the label actually transcends orthodox genre descriptions, and
surely that’s got to be a good thing.
I've just listened to a
copy of the very expansive 2-disc series finale, Hyperdub 10.4 … so watch this
space for a final review to complete the full set.
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