Trei - Innuendo

Rating

: * * * *

Verdict

:

Local drum 'n' bass debut, almost a spiritual experience

Innuendo

does what not a lot of drum 'n' bass has done recently, and that's take you to a higher place and hold you up there. That might sound grand and over-the-top, and it's not quite a spiritual experience, but Wellington producer Trei (real name Trevor Linnell) blends melodic hooks, beautifully propulsive beats, and an array of other weird and wonderful sounds to make tunes rather than just beats-and-pieces disguised as songs.

Still Remains

, with guest vocals by Wellington singer Lisa Tomlins, reveals this melodious mix best, as does the cosmic drum 'n' bass slop of

Push

, and the epic wait for the opening title-track to finally kick in is mouth-watering.

It's not all uplifting and high-falutin', with

No Vacancy

having a more techy hammer-and-tongs sound;

Shame

a soul diva driven slammer; and to end there's the swinging breaks of

Day Away.

The Other Part Of Me

merges both light and dark with a warbling underbelly and shimmering dulcet beats, and the nicely titled

Thunder Biscuit

(with fellow Kiwi d'n'b bad boys

State of Mind

) is similarly wonky, only the beats are more menacing.

The album constantly plateaus, rather than ebbing and flowing, which means there's not a dodgy track on it. As drum 'n' bass goes, this is as good as it gets.

For those wanting to check out Trei's live show, he plays at the Transmission Room on Mayoral Dr tomorrow night before heading overseas.

Scott Kara