‘Dub, soul, west-coast hip-hop, minimal techno and freaked-out post-disco are all thrown into the eclectic mix that is uniquely ‘deepchild’.’ Or so the story goes. And what a piss-awful expression to end on: ‘an eclectic mix that is uniquely ‘deepchild’. That it sounds like a Milk Tray ad is besides the point, what matters here is that things are seldom ‘uniquely’ anything and the Australian producer and acclaimed DJ, Rick Bull’s fourth album under the deeply girlie, ‘Deepchild’ moniker is unique only in the sense that in spite of the tragic pseudonym the contents feel remarkably vital. Hardly a surprise to learn that it’s on the Australian Future Classic label then, home to Kidzen, Eddit and Stickfingers.
So what’s been happening for ‘Uniquely Deepchild’ of late, then? Live shows at Australia’s Big Day Out, the Sydney and Adelaide Festivals; a national tour for Australia’s largest independent broadcaster triple j; live support sets for the likes of Mercury Prize Winners Lamb, Talvin Singh and Nitin Sawney together with guest sets at long-standing tech-gathering Mad Racket and Sydney ‘mega-club’. So naturally, you’re expecting something pretty special. Naturally your expecting something unique. Well whilst it’s none of those (if we were to be really honest) ‘Lifetime’ is a fresh and surprising mix of minimal electro dub, sci-fi spaces and slinky, curvaceous soul. And though I’m not personally inspired by the gentle acid-drops of the sickly and jazzy ‘Mutual Sigh’, the scratchy asteroid belt of tastefully micro fare like title track, ‘Lifetime’ and ‘Insert 1 – Blood’ makes a sound impact on the clockwork funkadelica of other tracks like ‘Greifwalder Strasse’ and the cool, funky deep-space of ‘228th Microcrunk’.
Danceable (just) and steadily progressively. Uniquely okay.