Jacques Greene

"Even by the standards of a producer who has built his empire on expansive, widescreen club tracks, Jacques Greene’s second LP Dawn Chorus is a lush listen. With 2017 debut album Feel Infinite designed to capture the excitement of the start of the night out, this collection bottles the feeling of things winding down. Halcyon synths, half-remembered beats and a warm jumble of rave memories all combine for a hazy delight of an album.

This isn’t to say that Dawn Chorus doesn’t bring the heaters. Greene’s ability to create soulful DJ tools remains unparalleled. ‘Let Go’ snaps with the energy of early Kelela; ‘Night Service’, helmed by vocals from returning hero Cadence Weapon, is a heady acidified jack; ‘Do It Without You’ skitters along on rolling breakbeats. Once again Greene moves through a wide range of styles here - slow house rollers, trap-styled club traxx, organic rhythm pieces reminiscent of Gold Panda - and succeeds at everything he turns his hand to.

However, there is also a feeling of early-hours wistfulness to everything here that befits Dawn Chorus’s title. This feeling is exemplified by the album’s two closing tracks. On ‘Distance’ Greene builds a heady and hugely emotional ambient work from birdsong, vocal snippets, swelling synths and Oliver Coates’ quicksilver cello lines. After this the record rounds out with ‘Stars’, a real one-last-dance moment. Daniel Avery’s Song For Alpha, another recent exploration of rave revivalism and half-remembered parties of yore, is a close bedfellow.

Jacques Greene’s evocative second LP Dawn Chorus captures what it’s like to stay up and see the sun rise."

2LP / Arts & Crafts