Such is the case with genre-music, your enjoyment of any particular album rests on what you think of that style of music. Don't You Remember The Future is what it is: a plodding, proggy, tech-house work out that is at turns groovily Balearic, lamely portentous and mind numbingly dull. Billed as a kind of concept album dreamt up in a fourteen year old's bedroom, Jamie Jones says: “The idea that this is the year 2116, when music has become some kind of controlled means of manipulating humans, and the rebellion consists of artist like myself who are hiding underground creating sounds that explore outside that control.”
BlackPlastic might have been able to keep a better sense of humour about this had we been able to get any genuine enjoyment out of listening to it. It nods along nicely enough and the Prince flavoured 'Summertime' is an early highlight that at the same time had us begging the question - why aren't we just listening to Prince? Mercifully, things improve towards the end and 'Absolute Zero' is a trip-hoppy number followed by the more jacking ʻGalactic Space Barʼ featuring The Egyptian Lover.
As with anything more progressive, this benefits from being listened to front-to-back but in the same breath it doesn’t really work outside of the dancefloor, not that it would really be much fun on the dancefloor. It feels like a sampler for anonymous tech-house DJs.
The fact remains however, that if you are a fan of this kind of stuff you'll probably like it. Maybe we don't understand, maybe we don't want to understand, maybe we take the wrong drugs or go to the wrong parties. It’s ok for what it is but frankly life’s far too short.
BP x
Don't You Remember The Future is released on Crosstown Rebels on 7 September, available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk on CD.
