out on Creamtone Records

"Sit in a comfortable position, preferably in a chair with a firm straight back in a quiet room where you wont be disturbed..."

This sound advice comes built-in with Singaporean producer U:tama's debut album, Beautiful Dusk. It's the cheekily titled opening track on the disc, intro:tama, which is also the first release from Creamtone Records, the label U:tama AKA Adrian Yeo set up quite recently with some friends after a stint at university in the south of England. The group behind the Cream projects is the Creamtea Collective, a diverse bunch who have their tongues firmly in cheek while keeping an eye open for cutting-edge designer furniture (at least that's what it looks like from their website)

the album weaves through U:tama's musical influences of funk, jazz and downbeat with more than a hint of trip-hop generously sprinkled throughout. It's no snooze-inducing 'chillout' compilation though, as the idea for an album has been knocking around for years since he made his first appearance on mp3.com.

The initial tracks on Beautiful Dusk almost sound like U:tama trying to find his feet, as they swing from the spaced-out latin beats on 'Funkt Sol' to the dub-heavy monsta 'After Midnite' and on to the breathless female vocals and psychedelic Indian-influenced vibes of 'Ankaa Nova'.

He hits his stride six tracks in, with the infectious 'Holborn Joint', a fan favourite from the mp3 days, a bottom-heavy ode to the Holborn tube station in central London. This is followed by a trio of sparse, exploratory tracks that would veer on the chin-stroking side were it not for U:tama's trademark propulsive beat programming. The final three tracks (including a bonus hidden track called 'Rooftop Guy'), tip their hat to jazz (or is it nu jazz these days?) with pianos and saxophones featuring prominently against a breakbeat backdrop.

The hidden track, 'Rooftop Guy', really gives singer Nyx a chance to showcase her silken vocals, especially with the hilarious refrain of "the rooftop guy is your daddy, but your mummy don't want you to know' ... perhaps the Creamtea take on that yuletide favourite 'I saw mummy kissing Santa Claus...'? Probably just the product of an overheated imagination. Mine that is.

Perhaps not as cohesive an album as it could have been, Beautiful Dusk is nevertheless firmly grounded by solid beat programming that lends its weight to the diverse soundscapes U:tama explores. It's also a great introduction to Creamtone and certainly shows what U:tama is capable of: cooking up downtempo tracks with a wide variety of carefully chosen ingredients, simmering with the heat on low. Like the opening track suggests, this album is ideal for a long afternoon in a quiet room.

-Joon

Tracklist

1.   Intro:tama

2.   Loungecore

3.   Funkt Sol

4.   After Midnite

5.   Ankaa Nova

6.   Holborn Joint

7.   Dreamcatcher

8.   Glimmer

9.   Hallucination Gin

10. Innermindme

11. Jazzadelica

12 .Blue Eye Lullaby

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