Album of the Week: Mr. G, ‘Still Here (Get On Down)’

Album of the Week: Mr. G, ‘Still Here (Get On Down)’

25 June, 2010 | 2.22AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: album of the week, mr. g, rekids

Ask any group of house and techno DJs who they consider the most underrated producers on the scene, and Mr. G‘s name will likely be towards the top of the list. I can’t tell you how many interviews I’ve had with producers of a certain stature who all remained as baffled as I that the British producer—aka Colin McBean—isn’t a household name by now.

Part of that might have to do with the fact that, despite two decades spent deep in dance music, including a stint in the Advent and dozens of solo EPs, mostly for his own Phoenix G label, he hasn’t done a solo album until now. Maybe ‘Still Here (Get On Down)’, will give him a nudge towards the recognition he deserves. Released on Radio Slave’s Rekids imprint, the nine-track LP showcases G’s talents in top form, raw and invigorating but hardly lacking subtlety. Few producers manage to make rough sound so smooth.

‘Blessed’

‘Blessed’ is a simple percussive workout, loopy as all get-out, and not that different structurally from scads of recent chord-house. But G’s drums crack like few others, offbeat snares transmitting a faintly Caribbean vibe, and his sampled keys suggest three-dimensional spaces rather than a two-dimensional MIDI grid. He’s renowned for a live set incorporating two MPCs and on-the-fly changes, and you can hear that sense of slow-building spontaneity here.

‘Firewater’

With its lickety-split hi-hats and spotty daubs of color, ‘Firewater’ sounds a little like Thomas Melchior‘s version of house music, but it’s meatier, brawnier, with a gnarly detuned bass, quicksilver chord stabs, and handclaps that compel you to move. We spend no small amount of time at the Beatport/al HQ discussing the definition of tech house; well, this is it: the perfect fusion of techno and house.

‘Dark Town Orchestra’

‘Dark Town Orchestra’ moves with heads-down intensity, with minor-key synths, galloping drums and Wild West ululations ratcheting up the drama. The funk melody that crops up in the latter half is pure gravy.

‘Platonic Solid No. 5’

It’s not hard to understand why Radio Slave is a fan of McBean’s work; on ‘Platonic Solid No. 5’, simple offbeat hi-hats and handclaps effortlessly shoulder the burden, relentlessly plowing forward through spooky synthesizer leads and bass squelch.

‘Get On Down’

‘Get On Down’ slows down a tad, slinking into traditional deep house terrain. String pads, reminiscent of many a Delsin release, crack the harmonic dimension wide open, while a stubby, square-wave bassline digs deep into the fundament. A dubbed-out vocal sample provides a subtle nudge over the edge.

‘Space-Bassed’

Another exemplary tech house track, ‘Space-Bassed’ features mischievous twin basslines and a hint of a disco break buried deep in the shadows; open 909 hi-hats and occasional wildpitch leads lace the groove like a live electric wire.

‘Lord Have Mercy’

One of Mr. G’s talents is his ability to hammer a track home without beating you over the head with it, so to speak. ‘Lord Have Mercy’ is one of my favorite cuts on the album, by virtue of its incredible restrained. Turn it up loud to appreciate the subtlety of the mix, with the heaviest elements—sampled percussive rattle, bass rumble, apocalyptic chord stabs—teasingly low in volume, hidden behind shakers and hi-hats; the hardest bits sound cushioned in acres of empty space. Put this on at the right hour at Panorama and, well, Lord have mercy.

‘Light ‘N’ Shade’

Another murky tech house groover, ‘Light ‘N’ Shade’ pulls together Latin percussive lines with dub techno chords and a spry little melody that shoots up like green stalks from a burned-out patch of land. It’s a little bit Chicago, a little bit Detroit, a little bit Berlin—and entirely Mr. G.

‘Stolen Moments’

‘Stolen Moments’ wraps up the album with a lush, beatdown groove at 108 BPM or so. The chords recall Pepe Bradock at his most misty-eyed, and the drums bounce and snap in a way that’s almost reminiscent of hip-house. It’s a gorgeous way to close out the record—and, one can only hope, a suggestion of what else Mr. G might have sitting on his hard drives at similar tempos.

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