Nookie: In @ The Deep End

He may be in at the deep end, but Nookie's debut album gives every clue that he is absolutely in his element. After making his name as a veteran hardcore producer, Nookie has been showing up on various compilations flaunting his shimmering drum & bass aesthetic. His debut album carries the torch for the Good Looking label camp's healthy catalog of innovative, cerebral drum & bass. For the most part, Nookie's staple tracks are spacious, with unhurried, crisp breakbeats unfolding in jazz-inflected, ambient soundscapes. "Disillusion" and "Natural Experience" typify this style. But he has a full palette of musical colors, sidestepping the jazz n bass with tracks like "Innerspace", which takes a more nostalgic view of drum & bass' past with a staccato, punctuated break. "Stepping Back" recalls a techno age past, with a remix throwing props to the Detroit sound. Nookie rounds out the album with a deft touch of deep house. "My Lovin'" featuring the vocals of Ebony Simone establishes Nookie's talent as a jack of all genres, and apparent master of each one. At just nine tracks deep, he leaves no room for musical redundancy or repetition, only an implicit promise of more to come.