Given the title of this debut long-player from young Bristol native The Joker, you can tell this bass music whiz - he has distanced himself from being labelled a dubstep producer - was aiming high. The album follows a consistent stream of EPs and towering tracks starting in 2007 when he was just 16 years old, including releases on Kode 9's renowned Hyperdub label.
Sometimes he succeeds in his vision, like on the stealth synth and quirky R&B-inspired Slaughterhouse, the spectral and shimmering soundscapes of the beautiful Milky Way, and the Scritti Politti-meets-computer game soundtrack bop of Level 6 (Interlude). And the highlight comes mid-way through the album on My Trance Girl where he is at his effortless yet penetrating best as the song twists, spirals, and seduces with the perfectly paced stomp and lope
of beats.
But the ambition often gives way to ineffectual, nice enough R&B dubstep tracks such as The Vision (Let Me Breathe). Then there's the school yard chants and quick-fire rapping of Lost which is cute but slightly old hat; On My Mind could echo TV On the Radio but instead reminds of a swooning R&B jam, and then there's the wimpy slow jam Electric Sea. Let's face it, there really is no place for wimpy in bass music.
So while The Joker doesn't exactly fail in his vision, it's just not as grand and revelatory as he - or bass music and dubstep fans - probably would have liked.
Stars: 3/5
Verdict: Hit-and-miss debut from bass music visionary
