Rudimental - Home


It's secretly every British DJ's dream to have a #1 single with their debut album, let's be honest. So the fact that Rudimental already have 2 off of this, and the album went straight to #1 too, suggests this is a very big thing indeed. 2013 seems to be a great year for fresh new dance and D'n'B talent: Disclosure, Duke Dumont and Naughty Boy are racking up chart-toppers like no tomorrow.

Rudimental - real names Piers, Amir, Kesi and DJ Locksmith - have carved themselves into that most British of contemporary sounds that was rather brought to the UK charts by Mark Ronson; that brand of revamped Motown, given an urban edge and handed over to just about any current soulful pop singer. The problem is that such records as Mark Ronson's Versions or Plan B's Defamation of Strickland Banks, whilst certainly stylish and successful, lacked something in the way of versatility.


The record kicks off with its moody, understated title track and a pub-organ backing gives Sinead Harnett the chance to do a very convincing Amy Winehouse impression. But clearly the track everyone's most interested in is 2012 hit single 'Feel the Love', with John Newman's far more distinctive vocal (he's sure to grab a #1 with his upcoming solo effort Love Me Again) fitting in seamlessly with a gorgeous and evocative dance beat and genre-spanning aplomb. Trumpets and choirs bow the titan out, before the vaguely Jamie XX (Take Care of U) intro soundalike 'Right Here' kicks off. Up and coming popstar Foxes lends a pretty indistinctive hand to the future (fifth) single, but the majority of its appeal lies in its gorgeously sunny breakdown around the middle (and it certainly doesn't lie in Foxes' tired "whoa-oh" vocal bit on the chorus). Angel Haze and MNEK, two other hot new things, pop up on 'Hell Could Freeze', an extremely busy and likely divisive track that - if not entirely successful -  at least stretches Rudimental's comfort zone.

Their first ever single 'Spoons' - tellingly using the sound of spoons clinking against each other - is next, and if you can look past the daft inspiration, it's a polished and infectious production, and a definite highlight. The album's greatest flaw, if you can call it one since it's not entirely their fault, is that some of the guest vocalists sound wholly indistinguishable from each other. I'm told 'Hide' features someone called Sinead Harnett, but listen blindfolded and you'd be forgiven for thinking it's Emeli Sande or Katy B. There are some stand-outs, though: a contestant on last year's The Voice, Becky Hill, gives 'Powerless' a strong, memorable performance. And then there's 2012 most camera-shy singer, Emeli Sande, who pops up twice here: first on the incredibly forgettable and melodramatic 'More Than Anything'; then the accomplished, weighty album closer 'Free'.

Alex Clare joins the party with John Newman on 'Not Giving In', the album's noisiest and most bombastic offering, complete with slightly generic (or empowered, depending on your tolerance for musical encouragement) lyrics. A touch of 90s retroism, as is typical with MNEK production (see: Duke Dumont and Little Mix's #1 hits), rears on the effortlessly engaging 'Baby', before their second #1 single - the angsty, gritty would've-been-everywhere-on-Bebo-if-we-still-used-it (see T2's Heartbroken and Jordin Sparks' No Air) 'Waiting All Night' - rounds us off.


Personally, it's not the sound I'm nost motivated by or interested in, but Rudimental's popularisation of a genre that's totally alien to me is quite welcome. I'm sure tonnes of aspiring dubstep producers and DJs will reliably inform me that they're watered down, mainstream shit, but that's rather a given with hardcore fans of any genre. Rudimental have a collective ear for rapturous, riveting dance music, and long may they continue to reign the charts.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: Feel the Love; Free; Spoons; Waiting all Night; Baby
Avoid: More Than Anything

Artwork Watch: it's just a photo, what do you want from me?
For fans of: Plan B; Mark Ronson; Chase & Status
Up next: MS MR  

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