More than two and a half decades deep, Tatham is in a new groove, and it’s anyone’s guess where it may carry him. He tinkles the keys over ethereal samples on “Runnin’ Tru.” In fact, there was room here for more soloing-there’s nothing quite as fervent as his playing over, say, the second half of 2016 number “The Shadow Ain’t Going Nowhere.” But pull the viewfinder back to a wider angle and witness a prolific veteran currently dedicated to moving away from broken beat-or any other easy genre signifier-with flair and focus. On “Any Flavour,” his brisk piano play is matched with a prominent bassline and hand drums that give it a little Latin swing. (The palm tree in the background on the sleeve sure isn’t depicting Tatham’s hometown of Redditch, just south of Birmingham.)Īmid the more skittish beat cuts-like the grubby, Dilla-worshiping “Funky Fool”-Tatham indulges his taste for jazz. Bugz in the Attic is a collective of DJs and producers based in West London, who are prominent in broken beat. The title track is built out of the kind of squelchy synths and bass that could give a lowrider its bounce as it cruises L.A.’s boulevards. The sweet ba-ba-ba vocal harmonies of “Knocknee Donkey” invoke Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66. The collective includes Orin Walters (Afronaught). So you get a song like “We Chillin’ Out”: With its repetitive piano progression, upbeat horn riffs, and cosmic keys, it’s an Earth, Wind & Fire-esque slice of 1970s disco. Bugz in the Attic is a collective of DJs and producers based in West London, who are prominent in broken beat. Tatham showcases his versatility with cohesion and focus.
It’s instrumental music with melodies that will stay put in your temporal lobe for days. Don’t Rush the Process is a headphones album that you can still throw on at the cookout. But by underpinning the arrangements with neat, programmed drum loops-as well as keeping the project moving with beat-tape brevity-Tatham’s productions still feel more insular than lush. Tatham’s omnivorous music places him alongside British contemporaries like Kamaal Williams, Joe Armon-Jones, and Tenderlonious. There are dreamy harps, Jon Brion-sized strings, choir samples.
Don’t Rush the Process is Tatham’s most expansive record yet, reaching far beyond his broken-beat origin story to incorporate boogie, disco, boom bap, bossa nova, and shades of Thundercat.
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