Jon Hopkins
Immunity

Jon Hopkins, a London musician born in 1979, was previously known to me as being associated with the monumental name of his majesty Brian Eno: over the last decade, the king of ambient music has chosen him as his right-hand man, a sort of new Daniel Lanois, and together they released albums that ultimately went unnoticed, such as Another Day On Earth and Small Craft On A Milk Sea (he was also alongside Coldplay, but that’s another story).

Is it the fault of the young and inexperienced Hopkins, or has Eno long since run out of his best tricks? Listening to Immunity, the first significant LP where Hopkins is finally on his own, the answer seems to be the latter: he isn't too influenced by Brian Eno, and manages to be far superior to the albums where he was a co-producer and co-author.

If I have to mention Eno, Immunity echoes Small Craft On A Milk Sea and the recent Lux a bit, but this time, the overall result is compact and interesting: from the first to the eighth and final track, the atmosphere is consistently cold, metallic, and nocturnal, but fortunately, Hopkins manages to produce a work that is decently varied and multifaceted. The London producer excellently opens the dance with We Disappear, an incessant and metallic beat, screeching noises superimposed on nighttime sounds: it could easily serve as a manifesto for the entire work because at least the first half follows this line. The bass power in Open Eye Signal is impressive as it gives way to Breathe This Air and Collider, undoubtedly the most mysterious and sensual tracks on the album.

Hopkins' skill is evident in his ability to wisely use few ingredients, and it's here that Brian Eno's touch is felt: he approaches the so-called Intelligent Dance Music genre but keeps a safe distance, avoiding adding too many details that would unnecessarily burden the final result.