(Ninja Tune/Inertia)

There has been quite a buzz around this the second release from New York’s ‘Blockhead’. His 2004 debut on Ninja Tune, ‘Music By Cavelight’ attracted critical acclaim and ‘Downtown Science’ only confirms that Tony Simon is a man of much talent.

Hailing from Manhattan, New York, Blockhead had a brief stint as a rapper before giving over to full time producing. With his resume now including production for ‘Aesop Rock’s’ long player ‘Labor Days’ and indie acts ‘Slug of Atmosphere’, ‘Murs’ and ‘Mike Ladd’, it should be noted that Blockhead is also the ring leader of cult hip hop/comedy outfit, PFAC (Party Fun Action Committee).

Created to reflect both the vibrancy and edginess that is Manhattan, here are a series of jacked-up jazz grooves and pieces of moody instrumental hip hop. Broken beats roll (Expiration Date), drum patterns hammer and hum (Roll Out The Red Carpet, Dough Nation) and circuitry flickers and flares. Vocals are infrequent but well used when they appear and the composition overall is tight and purposeful. Think 70’s cop funk (Stop Motion Traffic), seedy cocktail jazz (The First Snowfall) and downtown disco carnivale (The Art Of Walking).

Accompanied by a fabulous dvd which includes the winners of Ninja’s short film comp ‘Music By Cavelight’, ‘Downtown Science’ is a great one to truly immerse yourself in. Excellent.