A Guy Called Gerald - Essence

Tiger Sushi - August 2000

(Original article taken from http://www.tigersushi.com/site/frameset.jsp?page=Rcd.jsp&RcdId=289)

Essence
A Guy Called Gerald
Studio !K7

GENRE Breakbeat / Drum&Bass
YEAR 2000
FORMAT LP
RATING ****

REVIEW

UK's most versatile producer, A Guy Called Gerald, is back with this Essence LP, a combination of new tracks and older hard-to-find material. Gerald's intention is to "vitalize the stale nature of Drum&bass" partly due to darker than dark productions coaxing most drum & bass aficionados into the friendlier "two-step garage" scene. So does Gerald's crusade to win back the audience's attention work ? Well, at first listen, "Essence" is a bit misleading : it sounds like you have stepped into a time-warp, only to find yourself back in 1995, in the heydays of "Intelligent" Jungle. Nevertheless this does not imply that "Essence" is too common to be noticed. Gerald has decided to use familiar sounds, luring listeners into a false sense of tranquillity so they become hooked to his catchy pop reinvention.