Maya Jane Coles / Don’t Put Me In Your Box
Vinyl
Hypercolour / Released November 2011
What does it sound like?
Is Maya Jane Coles the most talked about young lady in British dance music? Well, maybe, and there will certainly be no exodus from her supporters’ club after this, the final EP before she bestows a long awaited album on us next year.
Deep is one word to describe it, though that might be slightly unfair a reference point, as there’s more going on here than simple heads down house. Parallel Worlds opens the scoring, delivering fresh slaps on the beat and an infectious groove that really doesn’t stop, while send and return vocal samples do the rest. Far less energetic, but immersive nonetheless is Something In The Air, where melancholic if not spooky chimes and spiralling notes add an air of suspense to a Moodymann style jazz attitude.
Dub Child does pretty much what the tin would suggest; squelching basslines expand and contract, sending off slight melodies and what could well be bird songs in refrain. And, last but not least, we have Cutting It Fine, wherein Ms Coles ends almost full circle, laying down a pulsating tech baritone under toybox percussive accents before filtering synths and a veritable vocal car alarm ensures things are marginally heavier than that description might imply.
Where would I dance to it?
As the toast of town it’s more a case of where you wouldn’t end up hearing one or more of these.
What highlights can I expect to hear?
Depending on your specific penchant for beats there are two options really. Something In The Air is unquestionably a great piece of work, and reminiscent of walking into some dimly lit, exotic basement bar pre-smoking ban, offering the mental vistas of a beach side soundtrack, only with three times the darkness. Then again, closer Cutting It Fine‘s always going to result in some sweat, which is also a good thing.
Why should I pay for it?
In case you hadn’t worked out what we’ve been saying; this is a strong release.
Where can I buy it?
Juno.
