Never Enough Notes e-zine // reviews + interviews + music

London-based producer Mistabishi has never been one to follow conventional paths. He arrived on the drum and bass scene in 2007 and over the next two years released a series of high quality singles, combining a gnarly, militant aesthetic with an honest, emotional edge. After signing up with Hospital Records he released his debut long-player, “Drop”, in 2009, which was that rare thing in drum and bass; an artist album with thematic cohesion and a real story to tell. It was complex and dark, leaping from evocative liquid d’n'b to mutant dubstep via viciously whomping rollers, and cemented Mistabishi’s reputation as a hugely exciting, challenging musician. He could easily have gone stratospheric off the back of that album, but instead he chose to withdraw into the shadows, parting ways with Hospital and leaving his many fans wondering what exactly was going on.

Now his second album has arrived, and it’s just as fascinating and unpredictable as its predecessor. At the risk of being pedantic, the two albums’ titles are a good indication of their very different approaches to structure. “Drop” consisted of twelve clearly defined tracks, each of which could easily stand alone, but which also made sense as a linear sequence. It’s hard to imagine many of “Trip”’s tracks working so well out of context, as the album has been arranged almost in the style of a mix CD, with tunes seguing seamlessly into one another, subtly shifting moods and building upon previous melodies and creating what is, to all intents and purposes, one continuous piece. It makes “Trip” an album which demands to be listened to in full, which may be anathema to today’s attention-deficit iPod shuffle generation but makes a refreshing change from the standard drum and bass album template of ten club bangers arranged in some kind of vague order.

It might be pushing it to call “Trip” a concept album, although there is both a defined musical narrative and some obvious thematic links with “Drop”. Bookended by two dubstep tracks – ferocious opener “Industry Whore” and wistful closer “Druggers End” – the music twists and turns through the deep breakbeat opera of “Traveler”, the growling clatter of “Amen Mother”, filthy, serpentine ravers like “Fruitless Intensification” and the downright bizarre Wizard of Oz-echoing “Dorothy”, during which you can practically see the producer winking at you through the speakers, tongue firmly in cheek. Fans of “Drop”’s production style will be happy here, as “Trip” is full of Mistabishi’s trademark creative beat patterns, disgusting bass frequencies, odd vocal samples and clever, memorable melodies. And in terms of thematic similarities, track titles like “Party Politics”, the aforementioned “Industry Whore” and “Arts Wars” (with its ‘my god is bigger than your god’ refrain) echo its predecessors’ “White Collar Grime”, “Damage” and “Greed”, suggesting that Mistabishi has lost none of the anger, social awareness and interest in the seamier side of contemporary life that made “Drop” so deliciously twisted. It’s a sonic landscape full of deranged freaks, grunting bass monsters and eccentric geeks, some trying to find their place in this bizarre world in which we’ve found ourselves, some simply happy to enjoy the weirdness and occasional moments of fragile beauty.

While “Trip” is a great ride, with an ingenious structure and some amazing moments – moody roller “Goa Whey”, the chiming euphoria of “Rwd The Revolution” and the fabulously aggro “Fruitless Intensification” – not everything works. I’m in two minds about “Wannabe”’s odd vocal, which doesn’t seem to know whether it wants to be strange and dirty or self-actualising (although it’s appealing to hear these kind of lyrics from a cut-glass accent rather than the high-pitched Essex yelp you might expect), and the continuous nature of the album means that some of the tracks get a little lost in their hurry to reach the next tune. However, despite its flaws, “Trip” is mostly a resounding success, and one which becomes more satisfying with multiple listens, as you find new motifs and elements to explore. Emotionally varied and full of clever arrangements, intricate drum breakdowns, teeth-gnashing bass and, most importantly, ideas, it’s the sound of a producer consistently pushing himself further, finding new avenues and building on what was great about his debut. It’ll be fascinating to see where Mistabishi goes next – rest assured, it won’t be where we expect.