- Unconventional club tracks from an unconventional producer.
- Joe's most recent release, Get Centred, adheres to the highly recognisable personal formula he presented in his first solo record, 2009's Grimelight / Rut. It features three sophisticated, percussive grooves heavy on low-end weight. They eschew dance music's rhythmic conventions, like the regular pulse of offbeat hi-hats, in favor of velocity-modulated claps, hand drums, shakers and tambourines. The title track and "Rio Lea" also boast fruity, obliquely outernational melodies—another memorable Joe signature that surfaced on tracks like 2013's "Punters Step Out." On "Get Centred," it's hewn from a marimba and flute hoots, while on "Rio Lea" it takes the form of a wobbly interplay of colourful keys and freaky bleep-bloops that sounds like a Caribbean riff on Steve Reich's "Electric Counterpoint."
These tropes form a bold, personal musical language that sets him apart as a producer with a distinct voice and musical ambitions that exceed—or at least aren't beholden to—the dance floor. In fact, a track like "Line To Earth" probably wouldn't go off too hard in a club due to its understated energy and ocean sway. His decision to write it in 6/8 also makes it a riskier selection for DJs. The same goes for "Get Centred," which is in 7/8. Joe marches to the beat of his own drum.
TracklistA1 Get Centred
B1 Line To Earth
B2 Rio Lea