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Since 2010, London's Djrum (Felix Manuel) has been releasing unpredictable mini-epics which fluidly blend jungle and garage rhythms with classical and ambient influences, all delivered with a cinematic sense of pacing and a knack for meticulous sound design. Much of his catalog, including 2013 full-length Seven Lies, appeared on U.K. bass label 2nd Drop Records, but he made his first appearance on the legendary Belgian label R&S Records with 2017's Broken Glass Arch, a typically impressive and inventive EP backed by the two-part "Showreel." 2018 full-length Portrait with Firewood is both a continuation of Djrum's unplaceable sound and a different perspective on it. While Manuel has generally composed his music using samples and software, this one places an emphasis on his own piano playing, in addition to featuring hardware synths, strings, and guest vocals. Manuel was classically trained in addition to having a jazz background, and his piano playing is airy and delicate, exhibiting a sense of gracefulness which simply isn't common in the dance world. Certain pieces on the album, such as "Creature Pt. 1," seem to have more in common with neo-classical composers like Max Richter than anything related to the U.K. hardcore continuum. Yet Manuel is still very much a student of pirate radio and rave culture, and "Creature, Pt. 2" continues with the first part's gliding string motif and segues into punchy, distorted electro beats and ghostly filtered vocals, interspersed with the sort of dramatic movie dialogue samples which have become sort of a trademark of the Djrum sound (and which Burial would typically cover with static and rainfall). "Sex" is an intense yet dreamy journey integrating choppy drumming and ecstatic shouts with angelic classical overtones which surprisingly don't sound out of place with such intense, visceral rhythms. Most impressive of all is "Showreel, Pt. 3," which easily outdoes the previous year's precursors. Starting with a hazy bed of floating tones and fluttering, multi-dimensional percussion, as well as an extended vocal sample expressing the feeling of being out of touch with the world, the track gradually gains a fast, gabber-inspired kick drum. This continues to glide through space at an accelerated speed, slowly picking up bits of distortion and hints of breakbeats, but not quite hitting the adrenaline rush level of hard trance. Instead, it effortlessly morphs into evil darkstep wreckage, with jagged Amen breaks attempting to sabotage everything in sight, but the harshness dissolves into light at the track's end. At times, the album seems like it could run the risk of being the 2010s equivalent of an early album by progressive trance innovator BT -- an outstanding technical achievement, and undoubtedly full of emotion, but will it end up sounding dated in 20 years? Fortunately, Djrum's ambitious music is more inspired than it is pompous, and Portrait with Firewood is a scintillating effort. ~ Paul Simpson
