Various: Genre Free

The idea of doing away with musical genres altogether has been put to me many, many, many times, often by determined and angry music-lovers, usually under the twin influences of alcohol and a particularly thrilling gig. I know for a fact that these people are extremely confused because they seem to think that someone, presumably me, has the godlike power to stop humans everywhere from saying words that they say every single day.

The point being that genres – rock, rap, dubstep or honky-tonk – ain’t going anywhere, but it wouldn’t do us any harm to think a little harder before we trot them out. In the case of Genre Free, the eight-track, four-band creation of No Down Time Productions, the raison d’etre was to do away with musical labels and categories, and let the tunes do the talking.
Released last year, the first Genre Free album included songs from SXSW alumni Kid Karate and former Hot Press cover stars Fox Jaw Bounty Hunter, but this time, NDT have put together an altogether more underground troop of artists. There’s soulful crooner Kalare, who playfully fuses dizzying piano lines, ping-ponging vocal samples and startling dub breaks (‘Three Words’), none of which manage to distract from that marvellous, earthy voice of hers. There’s certified musical teases Leading Armies, who flit between meandering gloom and party-starting, riff-led pomp (‘All In Between’).
There’s BIMM scholars Rudy Trixx, whose über-catchy stargazing falls somewhere between Strickland Banks-era Plan B and ‘Naive’-era Kooks (‘Wandering Eyes’), and there’s instrumentally-inclined four-piece Super Hanz, who weave complex guitar melodies around Stephen Fagan’s understated vocal (‘Illogical’). See? Not a genre in sight.
As a whole, Genre Free is an innovative ride, jam-packed with unexpected musical twists and turns. Granted, the two-song, two-song format will be foreign to most ears, making the record sound more like a collection of EPs, but, remarkably for an album showcasing studio rookies and newcomers, there isn’t a dud track in the bunch. NDT’s production, meanwhile, is glossy, heavy or minimal, depending on what’s called for.
Given that Genre Free is available for free download to anyone with a computer and an internet connection, this LP is bound to be appreciated for what it is; not a game-changing magnum opus, but a fun introduction to four exciting new artists, and a reminder that good music doesn’t require classification.

Download Genre Free 2013 for nada at ndtproductions.org/GenreFree.html

Key Track: ‘Wandering Eyes’