R U Guna Move (Venjent)

Venjent's "R U Guna Move" turns an idea into a gimmick, a gimmick into a concept, and a concept into a concept album. Positive vibes only.

In a neurofunk ecosystem that seems insistent on being the most forward-thinking and stern-faced, having the deepest sound design or the darkest bassline movements, Venjent's just here to have some fun. With an array of unorthodox sampling — everything from goats bleating to chairs squeaking, to everything in between — "R U Guna Move" runs rampant through a world of music that isn't unexplored, but has also never been explored with just as much class as Venjent exhibits here. Typically, a 'random sampling' concept would be gimmicky and, quite frankly, insufferable, but the blending of sampling with proper drum n bass production here is genuinely impressive. Venjent blends the quirky (and actually pretty silly) sampling into the production itself, rather than simply besides it, and that's a testament of skill not many producers can achieve. "R U Guna Move" is equal parts ridiculous and genuinely impressive, what with its frog synths and goat sampling and hammers replacing amen breaks, and yet I can assure you with much certainty that this record is still packed with absolute filth. The inherently heavy, bass-slamming elements of neurofunk are not lost on Venjent, and despite commandeering a very unserious approach to the genre, every track on this record still holds up as a neuro banger, and the filth only increases exponentially. Not only does that elevate the record as one of undistilled chaos, but also one of such dynamicism that it can be listened to as anything from a driven project of drum n bass filth to a literal joke. Though the mixes can be questionable at times, everything about "R U Guna Move" is creative — all the drops are distinct; all the songs have their own flair (even outside of the wacky sampling); all the moods capture a spontaneous moment in time backed both by the project's goofiness, and also the weirdly introspective vocals that kick in at times to really give this tracklist a sense of purpose to go with all its other character traits. And truly, when you have a project that has this much character traits — humour, creativity, emotion, power — you have a project that holds, well, immeasurable character.

I'll be the first to admit that "R U Guna Move" really, really did surprise me. But I don't particularly care, because it's a fantastic project, and whilst the whole whimsical gimmickiness can be a little offputting for some, I think it's a particularly refreshing take on the modern drum n bass scene, and it's also just a blast to put on and listen to at any given time.