This World

Albumrecensie

A project from longtime broken beat/drum'n'bass producer Domu and the Archive/Neroli label was inevitable, as a lot of Domu's recent success had been via Archive and Neroli. However, what's amazingly interesting is that the duo decided to record for Michael Reinboth's Compost label rather than their own. Whatever the label, the results most likely would have been the same. Crisp, sharp drum programming over soulful strings and beautiful song arrangements run rampant on Rima's This World, especially when hi-tech jazzman Ian O'Brien is called in to add his special touch of musical genius to the formula, as he does so well on the album's leadoff track, "Modern Times." Contributions from Mark de Clive-Lowe and Julie Dexter only enhance the album's sweetness, providing an extra treat for broken beat fanatics. From start to finish, it's a gorgeously produced album, one of the best from Compost in ages. And it's this consistency that not only sets This World apart from most other downtempo artist full-lengths, but it's also a testament as to how far the genre has come in such a short span of time.