Album Review: John Arnold - Style and Pattern (Ubiquity)

Writer: Ike Ikwuemesi

The latest offering from the Ubiquity stable, John Arnold’s sophomore effort Style And Pattern is a hotchpotch of progressive dance-orientated tracks that are relatively more eclectic than his acclaimed debut album Neighbourhood Science. It's easy to hear Arnold’s clubbing pedigree as influences run the gamut from syncopated bangers to electronic jams, as well as Latin and African directed numbers. Assortment of subgenres aside, all roads lead straight to the scene that is the worldwide underground.

A couple of months ago I caught one of John Arnold's dazzling live sets alongside label mate Jeremy Ellis at a club night (Co-op, of course) in London. This is quite a regular thing for Arnold: testing clubbers' head nod rates to his productions in the run up to an album release. Hearing a few promo tracks in advance was quite a treat to say the least, as Arnold and Ellis caused dance floor carnage by mixing and winging their set with jaw dropping dexterity. With keyboards, guitar, laptop and decks in operation, Arnold bridged the gap between a DJ and producer at work. In playing to the crowd, he finds out what works and what doesn't.

And the finished result? The album is tight and not inaccessible. Listeners with less than a passing interest to the leftfield scene won’t exactly lose their way. Standout tunes include the percussion-laden single that is Style and Pattern, which jerks you out of any stupor into being a 2-steppin' freakazoid. With London rapper Ty spitting in his inimitable vernacular, it is easy to see why the track had the likes of Moonstarr putting his own spin on it. I expect to hear that next time I get myself to the aforementioned Co-Op. Another ear pricker is Supadude - a track, no doubt, that Prince would have been proud of pre-1984. Geminade is a gloriously ambient piece. Rise Up is funky but not to a fault, with guest vocalist Paul Randolph not quite nailing it, come the chorus. However, Pathe Jassi has to be one to watch; Arnold gives the Senegalese rapper a big fat bone of a joint to chew on with the stomper that is Jangal. And in rounding off, fans are given further remixes of Inside, the track that brought wider attention to Arnold as a beatmeister for our times.

As an album, Style and Pattern is above par, with filler tunes non-existent. Hopping from one future-funk number to another, Arnold stays the course, bringing it to your ears dancefloor fresh.

RELATED LINKS:
John Arnold - more on the Ubiquity website



Buy Style and Pattern at Amazon UK (CD) / US (CD)




PUBLISHED: 24 September 2005

RELEASE DATE: 17 October 2005 (UK) / 11 October 2005 (US) .

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