Album Review: DJ Q- Ineffable

Because I can’t keep track of everything that is happening at all times when it comes to contemporary popular music, occasionally things will fly under my radar. And because of this, I missed when DJ Q’s impressive debut, Ineffable, was streaming ahead of release, courtesy of Pitchfork’s “immersive” listening platform, Pitchfork Advance.

But thankfully, I happened to read about DJ Q elsewhere online, and thought that I should give Ineffable a listen.

Q started rising to prominence in 2012 due to the success of his single “Brandy and Coke,” released via the Local Action label, and has slowly been building off of that with two early singles released in 2013—“Trust Again” and “Let The Music Play”—both of which appear on this full length.

I’m no expert at the UK 2-step and Garage scene, nor do I claim to be. Neither are genres I actively seek out, but exploring Ineffable has been a relatively fun experience. I know, I know—it’s tough to believe that I would choose to listen to something that I would openly describe as “fun,” but Q has crafted a very quickly paced, upbeat, entertaining record.

Part of what makes this such an enjoyable listen is the unabashed nostalgia and homage to a different time for electronic music—there’s a carefree kind of feeling on many of the songs, “Through The Night,” is a great example—it’s very reminiscent of tracks off of Moby’s early work on 1995’s Everything is Wrong.

Coming it at 11 tracks, roughly half of them are primarily instrumentals, with the other half featuring guest vocalists. As a whole Ineffable is relatively solid, though some of the songs that include a guest spot work better than others. The aforementioned "Through The Night," while good and all, is not nearly as effective as tracks like "Closer" or "Every Time." Coincidentally, vocals on both of those tracks are attributed to someone simply named Kassandra, while the post-"One More Time" vibes on "Let The Music Play," and "Through The Night" showcase the vocal stylings of Louise Williams. Williams' voice lends itself well to "Let The Music Play," and later on with "Trust Again," but it seems out of place, and like she's just a small step behind on "Through The Night."

One track that unfortunately does not work is "Lassie," featuring the East London MC Discarda. Because British rap.

The instrumental songs on Ineffable still rely on vocals, just not as directly. The opening track, "Get Over You," is structured around some very intricate vocal sampling and manipulation. It's a post-Burial kind of vibe—playing a voice as an instrument. But, you know, not nearly as haunting to listen to.

To some, electronic-based music is incredibly inaccessible, but DJ Q tries his hardest, and for the most part, succeeds in making this a very accessible listen. By not being afraid to incorporate more "pop" elements into his music—check the straight up Craig David "Fill Me In" vibes coming from "Trust Again”—Ineffable is an energetic and infectious debut record.

Ineffable is out now via Local Action.