Everyone has an uncle with a penchant for corny jokes. Sure, he’s travelled the world and has some great stories to tell, but those damned gags just have to stop. Maybe pulling your nose off is mildly amusing the first time, but grows a tad stale after the fifth strained attempt at humor. Unkle Ho’s ‘Circus Maximus’ is a bit like that. Perhaps best known as the producer behind Aussie hip hop crew The Herd, Unkle Ho steps solo on this, his second album. Ho travels time and space to meld his heady mixture of influences. Skirting between continents, this Sydneysider takes the listener to Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and beyond. Not content to rely on samples, he incorporates live clarinets, harps, violins and voices from lands afar to lend his sound new dimensions. The string elements of this album in particular are a highlight.

Sonically, ‘Circus Maximus’ is largely, as it says, less of a concept album than a theme. This sound dominates several of the compositions, and it is to Ho’s detriment that he clings to this theme so tightly as it rapidly descends into mere gimmickry. Perhaps he envisaged a soundtrack of a debonair ringleader, what transpires instead sounds more like the theme to a slapstick clowning performance. Consequently the repeat listenability of some tracks is finite as the funny car sound wears thin – quickly. However, when Ho steps out of the big top, he manages to concoct some strikingly moody and atmospheric music. Sadly it’s a case of too little, too late. At it’s best ‘Circus Maximus’ offers some lovingly assembled cross-cultural hybrids. The oriental dub fusion of ‘Oum’s Funeral’ sounds like a Chinese restaurant where spliffs have replaced prawn crackers as the appetiser of choice. Likewise, ‘Spaghetti Eastern’ cleverly transposes East and West, as it’s saloon saga unfolds.

There is enough spark in this album to suggest that Unkle Ho is capable of making engaging and timeless music. I will anticipate his next release with piqued curiosity, and step back to inspect his solo debut. In the meanwhile, perhaps a remix project – ‘Circus Minimus’ – might accentuate the best qualities of this release.