Diverted Debut Album Reviewed (Air Recordings)
Live UK breakbeat act Diverted have been busy in the studio for what seems like an age now putting the final touches to their hugely anticipated first album which is being released on Air Recordings. They have attracted a huge fan base that includes Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, Justin Robertson, Eddie Temple Morris, Radioactive Man, and their tunes have received airplay and support from the likes of The Plump DJs, Lee Coombs and Meat Katie.
Diverted have built their reputation for energetic live sets via their monthly residency at London’s Air, seeing them playing alongside acts including the likes of The Bays, Justin Robertson’s Thee Earls, Kraak & Smaak, Minuit and The London Breakbeat Orchestra. In February this year, they opened at Breakspoll 2009 providing almost an hour of live breakbeat, with Lee Richardson drumming at the centre seeming to have the solid timing and consistancy of something you’d buy from Roland or Casio.
Breakspoll 2009 was the first time I had had seen Diverted perform live, having already bought Frederick, as well as hearing their vocal edit of dub-step Visions on YouTube, I was suitably impressed, and it only made me even more curious to hear what their debut album was going to sound like.
Diverted’s album sees them carry their own, but also team up with the likes of Nathan Flutebox Lee (The beat boxer that also somehow manages to play the flute at the same time) as well as Rhys Baker (Our Own Devices) and gloebtrotting Australian MC, Nine Lives the Cat. Stand out tracks on the album include Frederick, the dub step banger Visions, summer smasher Summer Hiding featuring the rather haunting harmonic vocals of Danielle James and Big Baby Fear.
The album sounds really polished, warm and there is a dark undertone to its sound. It features a wide, wide, wide range of musical genres on it, from your basic club style breaks to vocal driven dub-step to intricately drum filled glitchy electronica to some rather warm summer-esque jazz. There is seriously something for everyone, give it a chance, it’ll be the best £9.00 you could spend this side of a recession… better still also go see them live, you wont be disappointed!
Breakspoll 2009 was the first time I had had seen Diverted perform live, having already bought Frederick, as well as hearing their vocal edit of dub-step Visions on YouTube, I was suitably impressed, and it only made me even more curious to hear what their debut album was going to sound like.
Diverted’s album sees them carry their own, but also team up with the likes of Nathan Flutebox Lee (The beat boxer that also somehow manages to play the flute at the same time) as well as Rhys Baker (Our Own Devices) and gloebtrotting Australian MC, Nine Lives the Cat. Stand out tracks on the album include Frederick, the dub step banger Visions, summer smasher Summer Hiding featuring the rather haunting harmonic vocals of Danielle James and Big Baby Fear.
The album sounds really polished, warm and there is a dark undertone to its sound. It features a wide, wide, wide range of musical genres on it, from your basic club style breaks to vocal driven dub-step to intricately drum filled glitchy electronica to some rather warm summer-esque jazz. There is seriously something for everyone, give it a chance, it’ll be the best £9.00 you could spend this side of a recession… better still also go see them live, you wont be disappointed!
