Jega
Spectrum

THE REVIEW

Easy techno: not very danceable, very pleasantly listenable

A multifaceted character of Indian origin, born in London and settled in Manchester, Dylan Nathan, among his numerous hobbies and interests (after studying architecture he becomes a professional airplane pilot, but he's also a computer hacker and a BMX enthusiast), in the second half of the nineties dives headfirst into the world of electronic music. The first significant result of his experimental work is the sixteen tracks collected in "Spectrum", which he signs at the age of twenty-four under the pseudonym Jega.

Despite the influence in his early electronic productions of artists like Orbital and Aphex Twin, Nathan always keeps distant from the dominant British acid house scene, preferring to devise his own original hybrid of various genres, ranging from new wave to electro, from ambient to drum'n'bass. He owes his real debut on the electro scene to his friend and study companion Mike Paradinas, alias μ-Ziq, owner of the label Planet Mu. It is with this label, in fact, that his debut album is originally published, later reissued the following year by Matador with a U.S. contract. In this reissue, the album includes two bonus tracks, "Unity Gain" (remix of "Black Commandments" from the Two Lone Swordsmen album "A Bag of Blue Sparks") and "Naem", which replace the track "DMC" present in the original edition.

In an era where electronic music seems destined for a certain end under the increasingly powerful blows of the nightclub big beat and the more destructive noise based on sampling, Nathan indicates an alternative path for the genre with this album, through an intelligent use of computerized composition techniques that exclude sampling, techniques he demonstrates mastering at levels of excellence and with absolute freedom from preconceived schemes. He thus creates a surprising product, in which the clear reminiscences of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn", noticeable in the opening track "Phalanx", are complemented by the Japanese, dreamily evanescent atmospheres of "Kid Sista" and "Mai", all suffused with a velvety beat and cascades in the background. The compositional balance throughout, whether supported by fragile melodies or neurotic percussion, is almost perfect across all the album's tracks.

Nathan allows himself to be led by his creative flair through incursions into drill'n'bass with "NIA" and "Manic Minor", into drum'n'bass with "Intron.ix" and "Pitbull", into ambient with the serenity of the relaxed "Naem", or in pure programming demonstrations like in "Musical Chairz" and in the jazz of "Red Mullet".

Jega's debut in the electronic scene marks itself with a note of strong character, immediately distinguishable. The artistic journey of this interesting electronic musician will continue with a perhaps even more convincing effort in the subsequent "Geometry" two years later.

Jega, "Spectrum", Matador 1999 (Planet Mu 1998)