Words by Justin Turford
Having been a fan of Mancunian producer Werkha (real name Tom Leah) for some time, it was intriguing to see a full length album pop into my promo inbox as he has been known mainly as a singles, EPs and remix guy. Ace singles, EPs and remixes though, collaborating with stellar artists such as Quantic, Bryony Jarman-Pinto, Marcos Valles and Andrew Ashong, straddling the worlds of the electronic dancefloor and more contemporary ‘live’ music with ease. Here he has finally decided to go the whole hog. Fourteen tracks of zinging, uptempo grooves utilising equally studio beat-heavy rhythms and analogue instrumentation, somewhere between jazz-funk and broken beat (but from the North of England not West London..it’s different you know).
Every track has its own identity and focus but there is a wholeness about the album…In Werkha’s words “this record is dedicated to mixing things up, to walking down that street for once because your feet took you that way, to deciding not to take the bus today, to moments of improv, to breaking with convenience, to challenging structure, to play." As mentioned before, that uniquely British broken beat / UKG sound is at its core; scattering beats, bass pops and stabby keyboard chords keep a sense of ever-shifting movement and forwardness but there is also a deep musicality embedded in the songs bringing in live jazzy horns, wind instruments, double-bass, harp and guitar. There’s also a lot of playfulness, rule-ignoring and quirky touches that make it sound like he had a load of fun making it!
Having only listened through fully twice, i haven’t managed to discover a favourite or three yet but as a whole album, it’s a vibe. It’s easy to see why Werkha is a fave of folks like Mr Scruff and Si Bonobo. This is a classy record that manages to keep shifting and surprising but never losing its wonky, good times focus., transcending its influences into a new space. Ace. 8.5/10
‘All Werk Is Play’ is released on 29 April on First Word Records
BUY HERE! https://werkha.bandcamp.com/album/all-werk-is-play