Bleep

Broken Knowz is the absolutely next-level debut album from the 25 year old Jay Daniel, showcasing a wealth of talent at the ripe old age of 25 that most producers won't reach in a lifetime.

Having released a slew of EPs on a who's who of soulful techno and house imprints (think Theo Parrish's Sound Signature, FunkinEven's Apron, Kyle Hall's Wild Oats) Jay Daniel saves his best for the Ninja Tune affiliated Technicolour imprint. Home to similar astral house and techno travellers Hieroglyphic Being, Legowelt & Florian Kupfer.

The first thing that jumps out is the notable absence of the drum machine rhythms that marked out the robotic funk of his previous releases, having "ran into a a conceptual dead end with drum programming and pushed him to pick up the sticks and keys and start recording himself thru a proper mixing desk in his mother’s basement." and the outcome stands tall as the strongest release in his rich catalogue yet.

Carrying a strong ley line through the album's centre, direct from his native Detroit, echoes of classic Carl Craig shine strong on the chirping harmonics of Paradise Valley, which carries on what was started with the first falling teardrops of Elements left off, to the Bug In The Bassbin freestyle Yemaya. Much like 4 Hero's startling remix of Underground Resistance's Amazon, Jay excels at transforming influences from the D; Carl Craig/Psyche/BFC whilst also having a foot in the broken beat scene of 4hero/Cousin Cockroach/Cold Mission.

With Broken Knowz Jay Daniel is cementing himself as a leading light in the new wave of Detroit producers and for years to come sure to be one of the most returned to long players of 2016.