Shapeshifter: Riddim Wise

By REBECCA BARRY

(Herald rating: * * * *)




Don't be fooled by the catchy single Shapeshifter released last year. Been Missing, with new vocalist P Digsss, suggested the Christchurch drum'n'bass band were putting together a more accessible, downbeat, song-based album, following their outstanding 2001 debut, Real Time.

But with most of their new tracks surpassing the radio boundary of five minutes and the band gaining a reputation across the ditch for their throbbing gigs, it was time to release an album that more closely resembled their live act.

As a result, opening tracks Shakedown and Phenomenon are purely dancefloor-driven - heady grooves and clinical beats brought to room temperature by subtle but spacious soundscapes. Dynaflex breaks the mould with wa-wa funk guitars, while Skateland Killa is hypnotically tribal with its Salmonella Dub-style effects.

And while it mellows out a little on When I Return, a warm, sentimental number with Verse 2 vocalist Lady6, Relocator, something of a relaxing bath-tub anthem, and Long White Cloud with the soulful vocals of Fat Freddy's Drop singer Joe Dukie, elsewhere it's like being thrust into the seething throng of sweaty, elbow-flinging punters at a typical Shapeshifter gig.

As a result they've lost some of their loose, jazzy charm, and for a band capable of such a wide range of vibes, most of the time we're stuck on the dancefloor where sometimes it could work better in the bath.

Still, Riddim Wise does what it sets out to do, and if this doesn't get you moving, you're probably just damned lazy.

Label: Truetone Recordings