Call Upon The Author

After almost eight years of existence, Dutch drum and bass act Noisia finally reveal their debut album. That’s not to say they’ve been idle for all this time, they’ve seen their music released on scores of different record labels, composed music for video games and films, and most recently produced Hadouken’s latest offering “For The Masses”.
Now before this review goes any further I’d just like to point out that I am not a fan of this style of music. That’s not to say I hate, I’ve just never listened to it except for those rare times I end up drunk in a club at 1am, and even then I can scarcely recall the evenings events. Those of you whose ears are also new to this style may care to read on, those who are fans of the genre feel free to correct me and set me on the right path if you disagree with me.
At first listen I can’t see the appeal of listening to this music outside of a club at all, it just feels alien. Sitting alone in a dim room it just doesn’t have the effect that it could in a club setting, but then I suppose this is true of any style of music. Any genre of music feels more natural and atmospheric in a live setting packed shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people.
After a while it all begins clicking into place though, and I can appreciate the sounds and the journey they take me on. The complaint I usually hear from detractors of the genre is that all this music is just repetitive beats but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. This album throws a bit of everything into the mix, from some heavy bass sounds, electro inspired beats all the way to more chilled out euphoric sounding sections. Unlike other genres it’s not the lyrics that you are focusing on, but the sounds and where they take you.
That being said however, my favourite track on this album would have to be Soul Purge, featuring British hip-hop act Foreign Beggars purely for the fact that it features prominent vocals, unlike the majority of the record. Sounding closer to groups like Prodigy and Pendulum, it may just be the comfort of the familiar that has drawn me to this one. While I haven’t been converted totally by this one album, it has certainly been an eye opening experience. From the hype that has been surrounding them you’d be hard pushed to avoid them, from being touted as one of Zane Lowe’s hottest records in the world, lending their hand to production and remixes, as well as having their tracks played in countless clubs up and down the country. Fans of the genre will no doubt love these Dutchmen, and like me those yet to discover this music may just have a chance of being impressed and finding something new.