A few months back, while reviewing Pole's recent album, I commented that ~scape's relevance was diminishing in tandem with the tragic creative downfall of its once-trailblazing founder. However, perhaps I spoke a bit prematurely, given the latest unique and luxurious sounds from this dubsonic bulwark for the otherwise sagging imprint.
Depending on who you ask, Montreal's Scott Monteith represents either the tail end of ~scape's mind-altering first wave or the hopeful beginning of its much less memorable second. Stefan Betke's label first hit the scene when dub techno rode a feverish high, producing near-classic releases from artists like Kit Clayton and Jan Jelinek, but it later floundered with motley hit-or-miss offerings that departed, at times dramatically, from its archetypal style. Deadbeat, however, maintained a certain consistency, long after most of his labelmates grew weary of such post-Jamaican trappings. Grounded in dub's naturally spacious environs, Journeyman's Annual takes his sound to exciting places both old and new.
Opener "Lost Luggage" commences with swirling atmospheres, echoing snares, and sparse instrumentation that seems just a few inches from dubstep, until a gorgeous lead melody appears that leaves little doubt that Monteith has been listening to artists like Kode9 and Loefah. Similarly, deep and groovy "Melbourne Round Midnight" eases through with a percussive one-drop plonk and evolving currents of intricate sound design. While an entire album in this chilled digi-dub vein would undoubtedly be well received, the rest of the disc shows the artist instead making progressive strides with dancehall. He recruits Jah Cutta from his native Canada for the rowdy and raunchy "Gimme A Little Slack," a single-worthy cut that would sound killer over a proper soundsystem. With the sound clash in mind, Monteith versions the track for "Gimme A Little Dub," fleshing out the original riddim a bit with some signature bleeps and glitchy clicks. Recalling Adrian Sherwood's excellent 2006 solo album, "Where Has My Love Gone" and "Turbulence" build basic yet infectious techno structures around its island rhythm, generating a pleasant hybrid sound.
Hardly a purist, Monteith eagerly and methodically blends styles without hesitation. "Refund Me" has the grimey Bubbz spitting verses a over a crunchy Jamaican loop of overcooked electronics while Moral Undulations contributes his anti-capitalist spoken word poetry to the minimal yet firm "Deep In Country." The album finishes strong with a bonus remix of the ever-eclectic Saul Williams' "Black Stacey," remodeling the opinionated rapper's confessional original into an offbeat yet oddly tenacious composition and verifying the cogency of Deadbeat as a viable and valuable producer.
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