Flux Pavilion
Tesla

Intrigued by his participation with the Prodigy for The Day is my Enemy, I decided to delve deeper into Flux Pavilion by listening to his latest album Tesla, whose title perhaps best represents the new wave of young bedroom producers. It is relatively easy to produce electronic music with the help of a personal computer, some adequate hardware peripherals, and a good recording studio. The producer in question, born Joshua Steele, is truly young, and we can't help but commend him for catching the attention of someone like Liam Howlett (the Prodigy's keyboardist) who experienced a similar rise in the British scene but certainly couldn't take advantage of the technological conveniences that new generations have. However, you still need ideas, and I must say that, while it didn’t blow my mind, Tesla remains a fun and well-produced album that managed to entertain me for about an hour.

In reality, I imagine Liam's choice was mainly driven by Steele's popularity in the commercial electronic, dubstep, and trap scenes; there simply are no common points with the Prodigy's sound, nor with that proudly filthy punk attitude. Flux Pavilion's sound is instead a harmless, clean, and colorful toy, calibrated for modern dance floors but also compatible for easy listening consumption, perhaps as background music for a noisy venue or a video game. Music designed to be experienced in the present, without any certainty or interest in the future, somewhat the manifesto of modern youth. This doesn't prevent me from enjoying the album and finding several good ideas: the intro bears the album’s name and is both funny and indicative of the "concept": magnetic energy turned into sound. The following Vibrate is the perfect continuation, and it’s also my favorite track on the whole album: a strange trap gadget dominated by a truly original bassline - I don't think I've ever heard it before - a sort of digital chainsaw that enjoys bouncing around the track in different solutions, accompanied by quirky vintage arpeggios (reminiscent of 8-bit video game sounds). Kudos once again for the bassline; it's not easy to propose unheard sounds in an over-saturated scene, it’s clear there’s research behind it.

The other tracks impressed me far less, but I must say there are very few fillers, and almost all the tracks, rigorously party-oriented, have something to say and don't lead to skipping. We Are Creators makes use of Soulsonic Force to bring lively rap lines in a club structure controlled by a four-on-the-floor beat, not a standard for this album, so I consider it the most dance-oriented episode. International Anthem leans on a reggae-style vocalist, and the arrangement happily adjusts. In the dynamic rhythmic structure, there is still room for the chainsaw-bass, which becomes a sort of mascot for the album at this point. The rest of the track, decidedly successful, is a big party. Playing on expectations is a bit of Steele's trick; even Shoot Me deceives with its house rhythms only to flow into the classic dubstep melting pot, a genre now completely worn out, but which the producer manages to enliven by mixing it with a saxophone sample. In Pogo People we witness a sort of tribute from Liam Howlett, who indeed grants a decidedly direct citation to the introduction of Poison, a mythological track contained in Music for the Jilted Generation. Let’s say the connection ends here. Much more charming is Emotional, another happy moment of the album that exploits the voice of Matthew Koma for a sort of trap ballad. The refrain is very impactful, blending well with a very airy drop and fairly evident references to Clams Casino and his I am God, probably Joshua knows it very well, but taking inspiration is not a crime.

Tesla is a fun album with no pretensions, certainly not a masterpiece, but well-produced and very listenable. It can also provide some satisfaction when used in the right contexts. Perhaps it pays for the youth of its creator and an excessive concession to a current and fashionable sound. However, there are several interesting ideas that denote an undeniable production ability and that may perhaps be expressed in more mature works in the future; after all, everyone has the right to grow and evolve, especially when there are solid foundations.