1991 - Odyssey [1991]

Welcome to my tenth album write-up! I apologize in advance for the wall of text that is about to follow. Scroll down for a TL;DR on the LP.

Background

As always, I'd like to shine a little light on our protagonist's history before we fully dive into the album. You could just google all this stuff, you say? Well, if you do that, You May Find Yourself just googling "1991", which, trust me, is a Bad idea. It really brings me no Pleasure to tell you that, but it's the truth. Secondly, even if you've already got the next Epiphany and want to try searching for "1991 DnB" or "1991 interview", let me warn you: you won't stumble upon much either, except maybe some ads for VHS tapes. Outside of his UKF interview 6 (!) years ago, there is not a whole lot to go off of at first glance. That's where my ~~stalking~~ detective work comes in! While at first I admittedly also Din' Kno that much about him, I sat down and combed through every corner of the internet for information, often until way past Midnight, just for you, The People. D&B Mix, of course. So let me be your Guiding Light while we Power through this particularly Steezy DnB artist's backstory. Anything 4 U, my beloved readers.

Konceptual Supernova (1991 - 2015)

Let's jump back to 1991. Not the artist, the year. Well, the artist technically too, but that alias wasn't born yet. You know who was born though? Mr. Frederick Russell Rossington Webb, our artist of the day here! Born and raised in Crowborough, at the northern edge of the Eastern Sussex area, little Freddie at first didn't have a whole lot of contact points with this whole electronic music thingy. That didn't stop his love for music developing from a very early age though. Instead of synthesizers and DJ decks, his weapon of choice was the trusty guitar. The electronic music eureka moment only came when he was already about 16 years old, when he was starting to get into sound engineering and recording for bands at his school. However, it wasn't that connection per se that made things click for him, the real catalyst were his school mates, whose love for the likes of High Contrast and Logistics proved to be quite infectious. Subsequently he got into all things electronic music and the production thereof over the next few years and only two years later, the first releases started pouring in.

Under the name of Koncept, at the age of 18 mind you, he started putting up tunes on his SoundCloud, with Let It Rain being his debut. Not long after, the follow-up Galactic Girl was already uploaded to UKF, thanks to a cheeky upload to UKF's demo box. What an entrance to the scene. Sure, there was also the obligatory Free Download bootleg of a pop song, in this case David Guetta, but even on that front things escalated to absurd heights in no time. I'm not entirely sure how or why this all exactly happened, but I'll try to explain: Back then, Koncept had a separate alias of Nova, under which he released DnB remixes. Not just any old Free Download ones though, nope, full-on actual remixes. Not of any artist either, Nova's short discography consists of remixes for Kirsty, Martin Solveig, Hadouken and, to top it off, Avicii! Over the course of the year, however, he started to phase out that alias, going from "Nova / Koncept" to "Koncept / Nova" to just "Koncept" on his SoundCloud. The affinity for remixing stayed though, with his next project being a remix of the one and only Nyan Cat. Okay, that one was obviously not quite as serious, but you know what was? Official remixes for both Skepta's Hold On and Chase & Status's Time, maybe? Or how about his track Gravitate being played on BBC Radio 1Xtra?!

At this point his meteoric rise couldn't be denied anymore. Two years after he started putting his music out there, i.e. in 2012, it was finally time for his first full solo release: Outer Space / Rising, on Cue Recordings, who also hosted very early releases of the likes of Fred V, Grafix and Ekko & Sidetrack. Of course both were instantly supported by various outlets, including BBC Radio 1Xtra and Skankandbass. 1Xtra's host Crissy Criss even went so far as to invite Freddie over for an interview and a guest mix on his show! Shortly after, he debuted on Futurebound's Viper Recordings with another double single Breathe In / Your Eyes, which lead to Freddie being invited to do a remix for the Don't Look Back remix project by the Dancefloor pioneers. That's not even close to all the remixes Koncept had been working on though. In true Nova fashion, he went on a spree of killer remixes for Axwell, Ray Foxx, Ostbahnhof & Ugo Platana, Fenech Soler, Mark Knight, TCTS and SCALES, all between 2013 and 2015, most of them supported by UKF!

You might think, damn that's a lot of remixes, but what about Koncept originals? Well, Freddie was having quite a lot of label difficulties at the time, so those had to be shelved for the time being. To get out of this unfortunate situation that he found himself in, he was planning to start a whole new project. I don't even need to say what it was called, do I?

Palindromic Years (2016 - 2018)

Once he was happy with the tunes that he had been working on during this hiatus of sorts, he sent them out to Seb from Skankandbass, who, if you remember what I told you a few paragraphs ago, was one of his earliest supporters in the scene. At the time he worked for Chase & Status' label More Than Alot or MTA, so Seb shared the tunes with them. They almost instantly invited him over for a meeting. Soon after, he was signed. As you can probably tell, this was the start of the 1991 project, named after Freddie's birth year.

Ahead of the unveiling of this new chapter in his musical career, a lot of things were lined up to ensure the success of this new project. Not only did he quit his retail job, allowing him to focus on music full-time, the people at MTA also worked out a proper go-to-market strategy for 1991, complete with a full in-depth interview on UKF and multiple uploads on their channels. Sure, he could have just told everyone that this is a continuation of his journey as Koncept, but he instead chose to start out with a completely clean slate. Whether that's because of the aforementioned label troubles or because he wanted the music to speak for itself, we don't know. While he never once even mentioned his past as Koncept in any of his social media posts or interviews, the news still travelled throughout the scene quickly enough. However, it wasn't that connection that made people fall in love with 1991, it was his unique take on the genre, starting with his 2016 debut double single Sprites / Witchdoctor.

Right from the get-go, none other than Sub Focus starts supporting his tunes and quite soon after, he gets to know Culture Shock at an event. I'm sure you lot know where I'm heading with these seemingly random name-drops, but we're not quite there yet. Just in that debut year, he already followed this initial great success up with remixes for My Nu Leng and Flava D (one of my absolute favourites by him), OFFIAH and his label bosses Chase & Status. Of course he was also in the market for more original tunes. Not only did his second double single Nine Clouds / Bad drop just a few months after his debut, he also started gearing up to his first full EP! This is where the distinction between Koncept and 1991 becomes crystal clear. While Jungle Cats, the first single of the EP, was a proper DnB Dancefloor rattler, the Future Bass-y follow-up Dim Sum, the title track of the upcoming EP, showed the world that 1991 was not restricted to just DnB anymore. This expansion of his sonic reportoire wasn't even limited to Future Bass, the full EP also included a proper Trap beat with Bohemian and on Pornography, part of the follow-up double single on OWSLA sub-label NEST, he went into this whole 4x4 beat at 174bpm thing, way before it was cool.

Do you have a moment to talk about our lords and saviours? (2017 - now)

Remember Seb from Skankandbass and MTA, from earlier? Maybe you even remember my little background info about him in my Dimension album review? No? Disappointing, but not surprising. Ah well, let's recap then: from 2012 to 2016 he was label manager for Chase & Status' MTA Records, where he was responsible for A&R, (product) management, events and digital marketing. Among countless other artists, he was in constant contact with huge names like Culture Shock, Sub Focus, Dimension and, of course, 1991 during that time. Over the years Seb formed the plan to start up his own team consisting of all the artists mentioned above, plus MANT and Oliver Winters, and in 2017 it was finally time: the Worship Artists were born!

For 1991 this pretty huge step didn't just mean that he was in closer contact with all the other biblical boys than ever before, a connection that was further solidified by the remix work and b2b stream he did with Sub Focus in that year, it also meant that he was now self-releasing most of his stuff, with all the creative freedom that comes with that. This is best exemplified by his first release after joining Worship, the wildly diverse Lunar EP, which combines his Future Bass, Trap and Drum & Bass tendencies into one neat four-tracker, but the follow-ups in the form of Future Bass slammer Mayk Yu Myne?, the relentless DnB clapper Dun Kno and his deeply stomping remix of Chris Lake - I Want You were also constant reminders that 1991 and his multi-genre tendencies are here to stay. If all these sick productions somehow didn't convince you of his success yet, then maybe his Radio 1 DnB guest and mini mixes or his DJing appearances all over Europe and North America will seal the deal for you. It was for sure enough to convince the people at the 2017 Drum & Bass Arena Awards to award 1991 with the Best Newcomer award of that year!

Things got a little quieter after that, with basically only the glorious The Epiphany and a collaboration with Netsky during the DnB OG's EDM phase being released, but he used that down time and his experiences and influences gathered from all his multi-genre escapades for a triumphant return in the form of a proper DnB masterclass in 2019: Guiding Light, Illusions, Midnight, Kings & Queens, Full Send and another remix for Axwell, this time for his single Nobody Else. Of course it didn't stop there either. Shortly after the Worship Artist US tour and him becoming the first UK artist to release on RL Grime's Sable Valley with The People, he branched out into a whole new nostalgia-infused sound with the Pleasures series. However, after Pleasure, Power and arguably also his Where's Your Head At remix, he put this series on hold to start up an at first maybe similar sounding yet way more ambitious project: his debut album! You know, that thing we're here for in the first place!

Resources

Track Breakdown

Congrats, you've made it to the Track Breakdown!

1. On (Prologue)

Time to turn this bad boy nineteen-ninety-On! On this vibe of an intro we've got it all for you: electronic organs, synths floating around everywhere, one of the most dramatic atmospheres ever, literally everything makes you feel like you're about to get into your DeLorean and jump into an alternative future. One that's way more radical and retrofuturistic than this normal stuff you've been living in. Let's go on a journey through space and time together, let's embark on an Odyssey.

2. Odyssey

Speaking of, let's talk about the title track and first single of the album, Odyssey! Like I hinted at in the intro, this journey will take us through soundscapes that somehow merge the vibes and aesthetics of the 80's and 90's while still feeling futuristic, with this first stop showing us what 90's French House á la Justice would sound like when combined with modern Dancefloor DnB. Pretty amazing, it turns out! As the sun rises above the horizon, engulfing our retrofuturistic space shuttle in a bright light, a wobbling synth signals that our journey is about to begin. As we hit the ignition on our vehicle, a heavenly choir joins in on the anticipation. The wobble fades away, giving the incredible vocals the full spotlight, while each satisfying drum hit feels like another beam supporting our vessel being broken off to prepare for blast off. All we need now is a miracle - and we're off! Not only is the buildup expertly done though, no no, the drop of course also delivers on these high expectations, with basses that will make you feel like you're flying through space, atmospheric synths that are just beautiful and all kinds of tiny details in the background that make the track feel like a whole package.

3. Reloaded (feat. NOISY)

Next up, 1991 takes us on a joyride through the rough, break-focused sound that the likes of Chemical Brothers or even The Prodigy brought to the masses via enormous radio play and FIFA/Need For Speed soundtracks in the 90's, on Reloaded. To achieve this old-school UK sound he reached out to "your favourite band that sound nothing like a band", NOISY, who you might remember from The Prototypes' non-DnB work last year, delivering a performance that so perfectly captures this vibe it makes you double-check that 1991 didn't actually travel back in time for this. I mean, maybe he did, who even knows how to check for that? Anyway. This one has it all: Hip-hop scratches, an addictive drum loop, acid-y synths going all over the place, a cheeky rhythmic switchup in the second half. 1991 proves once again that his multi-genre capabilities are out of this world.

4. Out Of My Head (feat. Cherryade)

After this short excursion, let's do a little loop back to the bouncy retrofuturistic DnB of the title track, with the tune that manages to be so catchy you only need to listen once to carry it around with you for days, while simultaneously providing the perfect vocal to shout when you're frustrated about this exact infectiousness: Just wanna get (it) Out Of My Head! Right from the start we are met with this earworm of a bubbly bouncing synth theme that just won't stop drilling itself into our heads, while an entirely too fun tiny drum relentlessly plops along. As the ever-rising theme hits its first peak, London-based alt pop duo Cherryade starts laying down one of the catchiest hooks of the year.

While its core rhythm and lyrics, with their exact perfect amoung of simple yet effective-ness that you want in a banger like this, already make this an awesome vocal, it is the sheer cheekiness and attitude the duo puts into the performance that makes the vocal properly stand out here. Sure, the wobbly synth rhythm never really went away, but for the drop he brings it back in full force, with drums that just make you want to move, no matter how broken your body is from the festival you just went to. Completely random example, definitely not taken from my own experiences. It gets even better than that though, since 1991 brings some snippets of the vocal back into the drop, creating this satisfying back and forth between it and the wobble. One of my favourites of the album for sure.

5. Nothing Left To Lose

Time for something emotional, time for Nothing Left To Lose. For this one 1991 grabbed two vocal samples that couldn't be more different: one's a hard-hitting baritone-to-bass male vocal rapping about how he's got nothing left to lose in this entirely too complex world, one's an ethereal female vocal providing a beautiful back drop for all this thematically heavy stuff. This contrast is mirrored by the instrumental, with the track starting with a divine synth-heavy atmosphere, on which the female vocal is first free to roam, before a heavily broken-up breakbeat starts emerging as soon as the male vocal begins its verse. The drop brings both of these contrasts together, with the breakbeat going ballistic on top of the beautiful background synths, while the two vocals do their own call-and-response thing. Sound-wise, this symbiotic fusion of vibes that are so different from each other you might not expect this to work reminds me the most of the early Chase & Status classics, but it's much more than that in my eye, he really put his own 1991 stamp on it.

6. Life (feat. Sharlene Hector)

Even though this previous track sounded very conclusive already, our nostalgia trip isn't even close to over yet! After all these quite break-heavy sounds, it's now time for something more classic on Life: House! With the help of the ever-wonderful UK-based singer-songwriter Sharlene Hector, Freddie has crafted one of the most old-school yet modern bouncy House tracks I've heard in quite a while. That hurdle probably isn't as hard to clear as it might sound, considering I don't listen to House all that much, but I would still say he did an amazing job capturing that sound. It certainly has all the signature elements I associate with that type of sound: addictive House drums, vocal processing based on a incredibly soulful performance that makes a whole lot of use of just a short snippet of the original and, last but definitely not least, a sweet, sweet donk bouncing along underneath it all. Uplifting, catchy, just fun all-around!

7. We All Need Someone (feat. Empara Mi)

Enough fun for now, time to get emotional again, on We All Need Someone! This time the nostalgic inspiration for this absolutely stunning set-closer came from the late Guru Josh and his legendary magnum opus, the 90's Acid House track Infinity (yes that's the one with the saxophone), a connection that is already quite apparent when listening to it on its own, but that becomes crystal clear when you hear him doubling the two during his live shows. While its inspirations are not really well-hidden, it still stands out as its own thing in my eyes. Instead of being played by just one classic saxophone, the constantly rising, heavily reverberated, heavenly harmony is achieved by multiple, insanely gorgeous elements: A synth plucked straight from the heavens, an angelic background choir and enchanting vocal performance, in both chopped-up and raw form, by none other than London-based Empara Mi, who you might remember from Freedom by 1991's fellow pastors Subby and Wilky. All of this comes crashing down together in the drop, with a rolling drum loop that amplifies the already high emotions even further to the point where I can't help but tear up a little. It honestly is one of the most beautiful tracks of the year, and probably one of my favourite tracks by 1991 in general.

8. Thinking About You

Back to breaksics! Instead of emotional breaks or Chemical Brothers-esque ones, Thinking About You goes the purely rave-y way. Literally right out of the gate you can hear the typical rave "scream" and obviously there's the titular vocal sample throughout, but that's really only beginning of 1991's sample carnage on here. It's hard to pinpoint them all at first listen, but the more you pay attention, the more wacky 90's sound effects you can spot in the background, from whoosh's to zany clap's. Together with some certified sick wobbles and a drum loop that just keeps on going, 1991 managed to create something that immediately makes me think of those rave videos from the 90's, where everyone is wearing the craziest clothing and enjoying themselves in ways you didn't think were even possible.

9. Eternity (feat. Henry Dell)

From 90's clap sound effects to an intro that consists almost entirely of a few people clapping really satisfyingly: Let's talk about Eternity! Alongside this clapping rhythm we've also got some proper full Dancefloor drums and a reoccuring croaky wub getting you into this infectious DnB groove, but all of this is swiftly stripped back to shine a spotlight on what comes next: A marvellous vocal performance by Henry Dell, London-based pop singer and certified "one to watch"™️, whose music was championed as the Dancefloor Moment Of The Week on BBC Radio 1. I'd say he's earned himself another such moment with his airy, wonderful vocal here. After his first splash has ebbed off, the synthy main theme starts coming in and won't leave us so soon anymore, on the one hand because it continues bleep-ing and bloop-ing on in the drop and on the other because it's damn catchy once again and might get stuck in that brain of yours if you're not careful. My favourite part of this whole Dancefloor anthem arrangement, however, is that cheeky little shuffle that is happening in the background. It just keeps me on edge the whole time, I love it! Another very lovely track.

10. Who Hurt You

We've only got a few more tracks to go through, so before we hit that final sprint, let's slow down a little, with Who Hurt You. This time, 1991 manages to come even closer to evoking that atmosphere and vibe of an old-school production while still retaining clean and modern mixdowns, this time going for a more syncopated breaks style. Chopped-up strings, staccato keyboard melodies, synths floating around everywhere, simple vocals cut up and spliced together to form new melodies, it all fits together very well. Not my thing necessarily, but the production is top notch and I can definitely see the appeal.

11. Feels (feat Issey Cross)

From something that isn't necessarily my thing, to something I have been belting out at home ever since it got released: Feels. For this absolute anthem of a track, 1991 reached out to shooting-star Issey Cross, from Used To This fame, and let's just say she once again did an spectacular job. It's only a matter of time until she crosses over to pop stardom. The initial short verse, with its incredible acoustics, its call and response between Issey and a heavily processed version of herself, its reversed vocal effects between some lines? Top notch. Every little detail about this little part makes you feel like you're in a massive cathedral witnessing the best concert of your life, a feeling that is further amplified by the literal church organs playing along in the background.

While this divine atmosphere is already quite the achievement, what puts this over the top, what really makes you ascend to a higher plane of existence during all of this, is what happens next. The way Issey belts out that IF THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE line, man. It simply rocks me to my very core. It's not even just her in that vocal though, there's a whole harmony with a lower-pitched vocal, either processed from her own performance or added from a different source, but whatever it is, it's bloody perfect. Basically the whole vocal is stunning, but that one line transcends everything else. The way it pulls you in, the way it makes you sing along, whether you're at home or in the office, there's something magical to it. It is clear that Freddie put a ton of effort into making this vocal sound as perfect as it does and man, did it ever pay off.

While most of the production is quite stripped-back to give the vocal the appropriate amount of space to properly shine, there's still a lot to love here. The aforementioned church organs are just sublime, the gentle, bouncy wubs are class as always and the quickly shuffled breaks bring just the right amount of energy to it all.

You can probably already tell, but this is definitely one of my favourites from the album.

12. When The Sun Goes Down (feat Tom Cane)

One very last stop on our journey: When The Sun Goes Down. We are greeted with a simple yet effective synth melody on top of an 8th notes rhythm that's continually gaining more and more power, with background oohhh-ooohhh's that quickly expand themselves into a performance by none other than Tom Cane, of Half Light fame! These are basically the main elements that this straight-forward album closer Dancefloor vibe is built from. This isn't a huge banger that will cause any bass faces in the crowd or anything, this is more of a soundtrack to ride into the sunset to. Just lean back and enjoy where the flow takes you.

Conclusion

To quote Tom: "The journey that we started never ends". There is always more things to explore on this odyssey through the genres of the past we have embarked on today, but we've certainly scratched quite a lot of the surface. By taking us to the wild lands of French House, giving us a glimpse into his love for the break-heavy music by the likes of the Chemical Brothers, bouncing with us to some funky as hell House and even bringing back memories of that damn Infinity sax (just by typing this I've already got it stuck in my mind again), 1991 has not just managed to expand his already quite diverse sound even further on this long player, he's also taken us on a trip down memory lane, to the musical styles of his very own birth year. While the styles themselves are quite different to each other, it is this thematic cohesion that makes this work as a whole. Even the more straight-forward Dancefloor DnB tunes have got some sort of nostalgic inspiration to them!

My favourites have got to be Out Of My Head, since the bounciness on display here is just unparalleled and, well, it simply won't go out of my head, We All Need Someone, due to its impeccable musicality and the fact it's still making me emotional, even after all this repeat listening, and Feels, for its "best of the year" worthy vocal work.

TL;DR: A uniquely nostalgia-inducing concept album, with spectacular production all the way through. Or should I say, Koncept album?