- Benga's 2006 album, Newstep, was the first dubstep LP I ever bought, and I was blown away by its simplicity. The rhythms were off-kilter and confident, the melodies ice cold, the basslines sturdy and satisfying. Replacing his sharp synths and MIDI flutes with subtler textures, Diary Of An Afro Warrior was more sophisticated, but it still packed a wallop. By 2013, Benga's quick-footed rhythms and spellbinding melodies were gone, replaced on Chapter II by rigid, stadium-sized drops. Now that dubstep's mainstream moment is over, Benga seems to be reinventing himself, and he's having a tough time with it.
Last year, Benga spoke to The Guardian about his severe mental health issues, which he says were brought on by heavy drug use and excessive touring. Future Funk is his first new material following a year-long hiatus that he spent in recovery. But rather than a return to form, these three pumped-up dance tracks sound like an identity crisis.
From the top of the title track, you can sense a lack of sound design. The sloppy claps ring out first, followed by flat kick drums, lifeless hi-hats and a paper-thin bassline filtered through bad distortion. Every synth and sample sounds like a cheap preset, which is unfortunate because Benga sticks to this palette for every track. He seems to phone it in on "Make Moves," with its simplistic structure and a half-assed vocal hook ("Make moves, not money") laid out every four bars. The closest he gets to a passing grade is "Power," an attempt at hard-edged electro, though it, too, completely lacks texture and depth. Benga will hopefully get through these growing pains, because right now he sounds lost.
Tracklist01. Future Funk
02. Make Moves
03. Power