- Breakout acts are rarely true breakout acts. It's more often a mixture of luck, timing and savvy. Sometimes talent even comes into play. Each of those elements have contributed to the incredible success that Instra:mental has enjoyed in 2009. The duo of Alex Green & Damon Kirkham have released a string of beautiful records, culminating in "Watching You"—a tune that will undoubtedly find its way to a year-end poll or two. Green and Kirkham's talent lies in their fusion of pop and experimental.
The tracks are dubstep or drum & bass often in tempo only, but their debut Apple Pips bow, "Leave It All Behind" goes even further and disregards those tempos completely, working its magic at a stomping 126 BPM. Much like "Watching You," the vocal line is obscured behind a digital mask, but it's content gains resonance as a result. Is this robot leaving it all behind, or is this robot telling us to leave it all behind? Does it matter as it so deliciously shivers on that last word every so often?
"Forbidden" is more what we've come to expect from both parties, but nonetheless has enough personality to stand out from much of the wobble-tinged material that it would so easily sit beside. There's too much melody, and that melody is far too melancholy for it to sound like anybody else. Soon enough you'll begin to hear acts aping them. With a little bit of luck, timing and savvy, though, Instra:mental should remain ahead of the pack. The talent is unquestionable.
Tracklist A Leave It All Behind
B Forbidden