After a number of singles and EPs dating back to 2008, Edinburgh producer DFRNT drops his epic 23 track debut album and it's a masterpiece of post-dubstep chilledness and glacial beats. More laidback than contemporaries like Martyn, Kode9, Pangea and Skream, opener "Wake Up" sounds as though it's slowly emerging from a forest, with deep delay on the percussion and a slowly unravelling filter. The beats kick in on "The Warmest" though, but only at a slow and sparse rate leaving plenty of time for each note to register and the melody to pierce through. <br>Not all of Metafiction operates at such a brutally slow tempo though. "Epitome" for example is lively, with echo-laden hats rattling at around 125bpm. But the beats are never allowed to dominate the mix and are more suggestive and subtle than hard and danceable. Instead, just take in the beautiful soundscapes DFRNT creates. With the help of reversed and processed guitars on "Aftermath" or flutes on "Headspace," he creates a genuinely unique and highly original sound that defies categorisation, but which cements itself in your head over the course of the album. It's also worth hearing the accompanying mixes by Ital Tek, Quantec and Synkro among others for an interesting perspective on DFRNT's style. Viciously contemporary and a whole new frontier in chilled music, Metafiction comes strongly recommended.
