Planas

The Long Game
Exceptional Blue

If you know and love the dubstep genre, this debut album from the British producer/sound engineer Toby Davies – aka Planas – might be for you. Non-aficionados, however, may find its blend of select elements from R&B, electronica, drum and bass and garage difficult to place.

It’s not really upbeat enough for dancing, but it packs too much punch for your chill-out time. Certain tracks, such as Cry Wolf, could form a fitting soundtrack to a grand and intense piece of performance art, and the rhythmic, pleasingly syncopated beat running throughout could make it a good album to work along to. It’s not something you’d just listen to casually, though.

The most truly accessible moments here are in guest vocals with a real soul spirit. Ed Thomas lends his gorgeous tone to Breathtaking and Rain on Me, and Claudia Georgette makes Merry Go Round a tuneful treat. The reggae flavour of Underneath, with Dandelion and Gentleman’s Dub Club, is another high point. In short, probably a gem for dubstep fans, but possibly a long game otherwise.

www.exceptionalrecords.co.uk

Grace Henderson