- An inventive take on dancehall.
- For years, Philippe Hallais has been toiling away in a corner of club music, combining digi-dub, dubstep and traditional dancehall into bangers. His latest outing is a two-track, self-released 7-inch. "Virgin Traf 22" isn't wildly experimental, though it shows more creativity than most club producers taking ideas from dancehall these days. The horns bleat like they were lifted from a Burial song, while the beat is sinuous yet taut, as drum fills roll like splashing water droplets. The B-side is tougher, with a dubstep-sized kick and nervous snare rolls. Both tracks, though identifiably dancehall, have a scrappy swing and are covered in grit. He may be French, but Hallais spikes dancehall's distinctive sway with a shot of UK dance music style.
TracklistA Virgin Traf 22
B Grass 29