Resident Advisor made Paul St Hilaire W/ The Producers Record Of The Year
In a year that Timedance and SPE:C turned ten (and Tectonic hit 20), techno-infused bass weight stocks are arguably at an all-time high, and sound system music at large is, in all senses of the word, booming.
The Dominica-born artist’s new album is a sermon on dub techno’s thrilling second wind.
For Kynant Records‘ Richard Akingbehin and the voice of dub techno, Paul St. Hilaire, the decision to summon the ghost of Rhythm & Sound’s seminal 2003 album, w/ the Artists, was classy yet bold. Would w/ the Producers build on its source material? Or risk living in its shadow? The album’s faultless cast of collaborators, including Batu, Shinichi Atobe and Azu Tiwaline, made failure impossible. As a sonic aesthetic, dubwise is flourishing right now, and this LP bottles its power and beauty in myriad tones and tempos, from Mala’s orchestral skank on “Like It’s Always Been” to the slo-mo psych thump of Aurora Halal & DJ G’s “Mary Jane Greenfield.” The pièce de résistance is, of course, St. Hilaire himself. He graces every beat with poise and purpose, never overdoing it. As the years roll by, once-mythic musicians can lose touch with their former brilliance. Not this Dominican dub poet. – Carlos Hawthorn
Tracklist
A1. Paul St. Hilaire & Mala – Like It’s Always Been
A2. Paul St. Hilaire, Aurora Halal & DJ G – Mary Jane Greenfield
A3. Paul St. Hilaire & Cousin – Back Inna Business
B1. Paul St. Hilaire & Priori – Send Them On
B2. Paul St. Hilaire & Shinichi Atobe – Time to Wake Up
C1. Paul St. Hilaire & Batu – Free Your Mind
C2. Paul St. Hilaire & Azu Tiwaline – Let The Night Start
D1. Paul St. Hilaire & Gavsborg – Confidential
D2. Paul St. Hilaire & Russell E.L. Butler – What’s This
released September, 26
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