Black Pocket - Black Pocket The Album

Black Pocket The Album is, so we're told, 'instrumental soul at its best'. Whilst this listener is perhaps a little under-cooked when it comes to the genre, it's clear that this music, an unaccommodating, inaccessible mix of disjointed samples and off-beat loops, is a specialist market. Only occasionally does this record, the first under the moniker from '90s dance pioneer Steve Spacek - once of Stex with one Johnny Marr - put the listener at ease as the constant jumping hints at faulty audio equipment. Sta Simonez is one such occasion, although even here a certain amount of effort is required to overcome the bordering-on-irritating drum samples. This record represents a real challenge yet, when bearable, evokes relaxing late nights in smoky sitting rooms. This makes for a somewhat inconvenient juxtaposition, as a challenge is surely the last thing one wants to accept after one too many. [Jon Seller]