A Guy Called Gerald ‘To All Things What They Need’ (!K7)

Gerald Simpson’s new album, ‘To All Things What They Need’, is an OK album. Is he trying hard not appear like some concept album-refugee, banished to moping around a few synth pads whilst gazing at the musical glories of yesteryear? Hard to tell.

Everyone remembers ‘Voodoo Ray’, but few people will appreciate the credence he leant to the dance scene in the first place, throwing down Detroit-inspired freshness before mixing up 303 sounds and drum’n’bass with the hardcore scene. From there it was all gravy: Krust, Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Finlaye Quaye, his own label Juicebox, New York, several albums, interstellar fame etc.

This album is no one single theme, and addresses a variety of moods. There’s homage to regular dance music with familiar bass-whoops and snaggy sawtooth pinches. Techno hints bleep comfortably and Electro shines brightly here too.

Sadly, across half of the album you can detect a streak of vocal simplicity. A lot of the kind of ‘lost it’ lyrics and detached unrelated phrases by Japanese ladies were fine in the mid-nineties dancing in a tent but now I’m not so sure.

The first track underlines this. It occurs again on ‘Millenium Sanhedrin’ ( Spoken monologue and trip-hop) and also the last track; pleasant enough on a dawn–and-baggy-head tip but worrying...These episodes either reaffirm Gerald’s rave-culture liberalism or his persuasion to sometimes take himself too seriously as you often find on the inside covers of his albums.

Intellectual subtones withstanding, the album ramps up once everyone shuts up, lyrics wise. ‘Call for Prayer’ is an awesome fusion track, pouring the Imam’s morning song into Eastern arrangements and melodies. ‘Tajeen’ grinds its way to my second favourite track- a relentless acid bounce over tub thumping Moroccan percussion makes for another delight full of eastern promise.

The best track on the album by far is ‘Strangest Changes’, a hedonistic-sipping- iced-vodka-with-shades-on affair. Its damn smooth. Finlay Quaye’s heavily echoed and hypnotic stream of consciousness lingers loftily above the strings, evoking dark sexy lounges and dark sexy women. Brilliant.

So what to make of it all? Well, its not pioneering. Nor is it same old same old. Its like performing a horizon sweep with musical binoculars, peak here, valley here and you plot your own path.

words: Rufus Sanders

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