The multidisciplinary artist Gaika Tavares isn’t fond of being confined. He raps sometimes, but his murky, eclectic music resists a permanent home in the genre racks. Having worked with dance companies (Rambert) and scored for TV (Noughts + Crosses) as well as releasing an album on Warp, the south London-born, “club-raised” artist has also mounted interactive video sculptures (System, Somerset House) and collaborated on installations at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts. This latest album, Drift, sets out to further disrupt preconceptions. It also trades Gaika’s digital-first ear for a majority-analogue setup where these highly collaborative recordings were often laid down live.
Leading the charge is Gunz, a low-slung 90s throwback that’s equal parts guitar, drumkit and ethereal atmospherics. Sometimes, he brings to mind Massive Attack, but then quickly the impression dissipates. Loose and cinematic, Sublime combines breakbeats with guitar, piano and strings.
Not every element here is as assured. As one interstitial track segues into the next, Gaika’s mission can wallow somewhat. But the final two tracks wrap up the searching anomie with a flourish: the funk-soul-with-liberatory-guitar of And There Goes the Challenger, and the gospel-tinged Less Burners Bigger Hearts, in which guest vocalists Amber Joy and Azekel provide a shot of hope.
