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Autoimmune sees the return of Meat Beat Manifesto after an extended hiatus, their last release being 2005’s At The Centre. Main man Jack Dangers puts forth the ninth album in Meat Beat’s history, an illustrious career that spans an impressive twenty one years – which equates to several lifetimes in the fickle world of electronic music. How will his latest release on the esteemed Planet Mu fare in the contemporary soundscape?
Autoimmune is an album that touches on all of the standard touchpoints of classic mid-nineties breakbeat music, albeit without venturing much further. Clearly Dangers is keen to build upon the elements from which he has built Meat Beat’s reputation. Acid squelches, dub bass, random ragga vocals and a touch of junglistic riddim lend the whole album a very familiar groove. While this may evoke a familiar sense of nostalgia from listeners of a certain vintage, little here ignites the excitement that once made such combinations so exhilarating. Ultimately this works to Autoimmune’s detriment. While the components of each track work fit neatly together, nothing immediately stands out from the heady sampladelic stew that Dangers concocts. Another breakbeat, a swollen bassline, a few choice samples and so it continues. Stir, blend and repeat. The end result is as predictable as it is unmemorable.
Autoimmune is the aural equivalent of comfort food – familiar, easy to digest, but rarely surprising in any way. By no means a poor album, but in the context of the many exciting developments in post-millenial breakbeat music, Meat Beat Manifesto simply appear unremarkable by comparison.
