ALBUM: HANDBOOK - TITANOMACHY

Handbook (Jake Brown), all the way from York (the old one not the New one) messes with vintage disco, Motown, soul and hip hop hooks, relentless stuttering cut-off and loops, and just the right beats. 'Titanomachy' is an album of danceable yet melodically appealing unadulterated remixes; Brown keeps the vintage soul of his samples alive.

It’s the relentless stuttering loop/cut-off effect of catchy hooks that really gets into your bones. Stand outs include 'Feet Feet' with an intensely listenable disco-style flute solo (yes - disco flute) that flickers in a loop/cut-off effect over funk beats and bongos. Irresistible too is 'If I' with a looped melodic vocal hook – a laid back soul feel with masterfully layered on subtle and solid beats, this is the sort of track that’s hard to switch off. Opening track 'All is Not As it Seems' hits you with afro sized vocal fanfares and light beats in a 70’s Motown mix up – Brown again manages to create a sound that’s catchy, danceable, laid back and loud.

'Those Days' plays with old school rap and deeper beats, whilst 'Ultimatum' steps away from disco towards the vintage Brooklyn hip hop feel: tasty funk guitar looped at the front of mix and male vocal and rap at the back. It’s a dreamy funk piece with attitude. Brown takes it down for tracks like 'Zero' – a sensitively mixed soul track with funk beats and emotional perceptivity - and the atmospheric and quirky 'Neurotic' – with stuttering drops into silence and auto-tune disco vocal.

We hope to catch this guy live soon, but for now head to bandcamp to check him out and download the album. // Handbook