Quantic - The 5th Exotic

With beats ranging from laidback trip-hop to drum & bassey big beat, there is enough variety of drum here to keep this instrumental album of quirky electronica interesting.

Similar in style to Mr. Scruff (though more adventurous), DJ Shadow (though more leftfield), and Deadly Avenger (though less serious), this album could perhaps be best described as intelligent big-beat.

Whilst the good songsmanship remains consistent throughout, there are no standout 'hits' to make this album anything more than just great background music. Perhaps having a vocalist on the odd song would have dragged this up to the level of a 'Moon Safari' or 'Endtroducing'.

A brilliant album. I came across Quantic after liking his remix of the Bonobo song "The Plug". Turns out that Quantic and Bonobo are on the same label, and they both produce music in a similar vein. The 5th exotic is a very catchy record, but still has depth on repeated listenings. The songs don't get repetitive at all, and they don't tire with repeated listenings. I think this album is superior to Quantic's followup, Apricot Morning, because i think this one was produced before Quantic made it big, so less flash and bad vocalists, and more laid-back beats and chilled instrumentals. My favourites are "Life in the rain" and "Snakes in the Grass"