Deepchild is Rick Bull, a producer extraordinaire from Down Under, and a member of Sydney's esteemed beat freak collectives Clan Analogue and DumpHuck.
Emerging in the mid-nineties Bull's Deepchild sobriquet has become synonymous with sophisticated blends of smoky dub, elongated electronica, and deep, textured sounds. But though his music is discernibly dubwise, it also has a crispy thinness not found in the original Jamaican blueprint, and an insouciant and melodic edge that makes it more original.
'Chocolate Dubs' is his second LP and, like the love-drug foodsnack it's named after, aims to infuse you with that feel good vibe. Starting off with the rolling breaks and cavernous live bass of 'Hong Kong' the album elegantly and unhurriedly unfurls in a sturdy procession of rich strings and techno bleeps taking a more jazzual and melodic vibe on tracks like 'Buddha Child' and incorporating vocal layers which ricochet suavely around the music.
A tight electro riddim underpins the Pole-esque crackle sonics and jazz-funk flava of 'Booty-Tonic Retro', which also comes with added acid squelch, and often (as on 'Swinglow'), Deepchild's combination of electronica and harmonic richness reaches quite ethereal proportions, shoals of sound swirling around steady rocks of bass and beats. 'For A Reason' features the soulful vocals of Andy B, who blends well with Deepchild's murky but insouciant mesh of sounds, lifting them up and into a more accessible world and lending the tracks a fresh and earnest direction.
Overall, 'Chocolate Dubs' is an intimate and even sensual document, all electronic susurrations, whispered echoes and milky smooth bass. The variety of styles it's author tries out are engaging, ranging from more floor-friendly beatwork to quite beautiful moments like Stasis Dub. Fresh and lucid, Deepchild is a distinctive and idiosyncratic album that seduces rather than shouts.
