Memories of the Future - Kode9, The Spaceape

Have you ever wanted to hear an old-school dubstep beat and a philosophically meandering audiobook at the same time? We've all been there — if you're in the mood, this album is for you.

Kode9, founder of the historically significant label Hyperdub, brings his own dubstep talents to that very label, teaming up with ragga vocalist The Spaceape to craft the journey that is "Memories of the Future". A paradox in itself, this collaborative project does indeed meander philosophically. With a disdain for actual rhythm and energy, The Spaceape practically and pragmatically speaks his mind on expansive concepts and intricate imagery, abandoning traditional musicality in exchange for something that sits at the borderline of literature, calling to be let into the poet's camp, but with enough reggae flair to keep itself rooted somewhat in music. Admittedly, the old-school dubstep helps a lot with that — with no heed to dubstep's future as a genre, and with no heed to its (at the time) defining somber traits, Kode9 embarks on an almost, but not quite, ethereal production journey, harnessing simple beatwork and airy synth leads to swirl around each other and reinforce The Spaceape's spoken word voice, sometimes with a powerful sub thrown into the mix. His affinity for atmosphere is impeccable, keeping his production minimal yet immersive, simple yet complex and dynamic enough to stay engaging and different each time, only really coming into its own in "9 Samurai" but otherwise acting as accompaniment for the spoken word. So, is "Memories of the Future" just an audiobook with a dubstep backtrack? No, not quite. The Spaceape's ragga vocal is still tasteful, despite doing practically nothing, drawing you in with his intimate vocal work and allowing him to explore and challenge very prevalent concepts and abstract ideas, perhaps philosophical, perhaps fictional, perhaps inconsequential if only to expand upon the project's vast catalogue of motifs and imagery. Arguably, with Kode9's production being so minimal, it's the vocal that makes or breaks the tracklist, and for the most part, it does make it. But, in all honesty, it breaks it too. The low, rhythm-less voice can get quite tiring at times, occassionally losing my interest, and at times I find myself wishing the tracklist had a little more drive to it, a little more will to live, so to speak. Put that alongside the fact that literally none of these tracks work outside the album's context, and cracks begin to show.

Lyrically this album is phenomenal, and conceptually I find very few flaws, but ultimately it's this loss of engagement that drops it a little for me. However, I'll be the first to admit that this is, to this day, a very well-made and very innovative piece of work, and "Memories of the Future" — ironically, perhaps, considering the name — feels of its time and ahead of its time.