Flowriders - Ruedy

This is exceptionally run of the mill broken-beat hip-house with a few moments of uplifting originality. It's not that producer/songwriter Vincent Helbers can't write a decent tune, or even that the Flowriders lack talent. It's simply that their particular style of jazz-influenced downbeat is just so derivative and unoriginal that it's hard to find anything of interest on this album. Visualize showcases a knack for the kind of intricate, fractured percussion that has Gilles Peterson creaming in his Bermuda shorts, whilst the live brass section on Roll On is reminiscent of Jazzanova, but there's nothing that really rises above mediocrity. It's in part due to their failure to commit to any particular style, as the Flowriders skip between hip-hop, house, downbeat and jazzy broken-beat without any clear focus. Technically accomplished, but frankly boring. [Liam Arnold]