Via Technicolour: “Broken Knowz“ signals a departure from Jay’s previous output. Disillusioned with the constraints of drum programming and the associated deficiencies translating human feeling or emotion; he retreated to his mother’s basement, picked up his drumsticks and started recording into a multitrack mixer for the first time. This was key for Jay, as he knew he wanted the album to sound more live, more natural, and more human. Consequently, ‘Paradise Valley’, ‘Boolin’, ‘Yemaya’ and lead track ‘Knowledge Of Selfie’ are founded on loose-knit, shuffling breaks with Jay’s signature keyboard runs marauding over the top. Refreshingly exposed and overtly reliant on the sheer weight of the grooves, it’s a mighty debut from a young man seemingly oblivious to the weight of expectation associated with the pantheon of music-makers hailing from his hometown. Stream the album in full below.
★★★☆☆
