Capitol K – Andean Dub

The sixth LP from the London-based electronica artist Capitol K, aka Kristian Craig Robinson, represents something of a new direction, another shift in what has been a restlessly inventive career to date. Inspired by a road trip through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, Andean Dub draws influences from the traditional and popular musics of those countries into a series of addictive, melodic instrumentals, combining dubby bass with cumbia rhythms.

The use of acoustic guitar samples on stripped-down pieces like Huayno brings the LP close to traditional South American folk territory, but for the most part Robinson is too hyperactive for the kind of subtlety and space that such an approach requires; Andean Dub is, at its core, a psychedelic and dancefloor-oriented record, revelling gleefully in a riot of colour and rhythm. This may be new ground for Robinson, but he stakes it out with the same rare enthusiasm and assuredness that characterises earlier releases.