Bleep

Alex Banks first came to wider attention as a DJ with some solid remixes for the likes of Bonobo and Andreya Triana to his name. He has since been signed, off the back of a demo and no other original productions released, to Monkeytown Records. His debut album Illuminate should be a promising release considering this, and it does not disappoint. It's a very contemporary album that takes house music as a starting point, but goes on to explore all kinds of moods and emotions. Opening with the fluttering, deep balm of 'Silent Embrace' featuring the lulling vocals of Elizabeth Bernholz. Bernholz features on two further tracks - the stuttering but elegantly wrought 'All You Could Do' and the warmly rolling 'A Matter Of Time', her vocals adding a pop feel to the sumptuous production. Elsewhere, 'Solar' sees Banks taking diced garage vocals and marrying them to gently strummed strings and crisp beats, while 'Phosphorous' is a heavier piece of beat science. 'Initiate' is tough, rumbling club music while 'Unknown' provides an epic conclusion to this very special release.