Samuel L. Session has been releasing tracks since 1996 however, so you could be mistaken for falsely believing that this album, his first artist album, is either an exception to the rule or the turgid dirge that proves it.
Instead The Man With The Case is a bit of a mixed bag. It is unapologetically a techno album first and foremost. That means there is a lot of nothing here. BlackPlastic is ultimately left cold by the incessant beat, the measured perfection, the lack of passion. Yet there is still a little bit of charm to some of the tracks that make up this album. The highlight has to be album opener 'Time', which has the warmth of Chicago mixed with the robotic urban perception of Detroit. The result is a truly thrilling track that transcends genre-definition.
The problem is that whilst there are hints of the same passion and intelligence elsewhere on the album, the driving bass of 'My People' for example, they are ultimately spread so thinly across its length that they lose any bite. This is still just techno. Do yourself a favour - download 'Time' but leave the rest on the shelf.
BP x
The Man With The Case is out now on Be As One, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD [affiliate link].