Review

Future Bubblers 6.0 Compilation

Brownswood Recordings releases its 6th edition of the Future Bubblers compilation.Under the auspices of Gilles Peterson who has garnered support from Arts Council England, PRS Foundation as Talent Development Partners and together are developing unsigned talent and helping to raise these new artists’ profiles.

Previous Future Bubblers include artists such as Yazmin Lacey, KinKai, MC Snowy, Forest Law and Kayla Painter to name but a few. This 9 track compilation is, as you would expect, highly eclectic and covers Electronic, Alt-R&B, Alt-Hip-Hop, Spoken word, Neo-Soul, Jazz and anything in between. Opener ‘To Be A Woman’ by Plumm is a real touch of class with just the right amount of melisma in her vocal delivery. Beautiful plaintive piano leads proceedings with classy yet sparse lead guitar interjecting before a great solo. A slow burning track that gathers a sweet momentum as Plumm soars achingly to its bittersweet conclusion. Sublime. Saxophonist Siegfried Komidashi offers up some spacey spiritual jazz adorned with bleepy synth noises on ‘ Voyager One, Lost’ unbridled as it takes an unexpected twist after a sax freak out into a song of sorts with some introverted falsetto vocals -blissful stoned out sounds are at work here. The experimentation continues with the punchy sounding Zeñel x Plumm with ‘Cringe’ bolstered by some tough trumpet playing and cutting edge beats and harmonies. I like acoustic piano and there’s some great playing on the seductive and hypnotic ‘Keeping On’ by Jericho Noguera,which turns out to be a real peach of a tune and it sets up Victoria Jayne’s track perfectly as we go into ‘Good & Low-Key’ a gorgeous two chord vamp that reminds this old hack of classic Sade ! A brace of spoken word artists pop next in the shape of Shirkers x Ceeow - Like Summer a dreamy affair as is ‘Twice’ again great rhodes like piano flow freely over the cross stick and blessed groove.Tadi The Great goes in deep with the mangled groove of ‘Catastrophe’ and closing track by Nowsm entitled ‘Rough Of The Felt’ offers up some futuristic house for good measure.There is something for everyone on this enterprising record emotive throughout and it hits many highlights.
Words Emrys Baird