David Sylvian's brother gives solo albums by drummers a good name.
This debut from former Japan drummer Steve Jansen is as intriguing as it is unclassifiable. Featuring guest vocalists who include his brother and long-time collaborator David Sylvian, and the delightful Nina Kinert, Slope is an extended experiment in forms: electronic minimalism, blues, jazz, even pop. Jansen doesn't sing, nor is he a notable lyricist (he tends to leave the words to his brother). But he is a remarkable programmer and sampler, an electronic composer as interested in formlessness as he is in form, in the value of silence as much as he is in sound.
Rating 4/5
JASON COWLEY