REVIEW: ROB SPARX – TROOPER
Rob Sparx
Trooper
(Z Audio)
4/5
Though formerly known as a drum & bass producer (with releases on labels such as Grid, Zombie & Up Yours), Rob Sparx has more recently been dropping dubstep. This album is very different to his crazy bass banger, ‘Sludge’ on the Audio Phreaks label. With ‘Trooper’, he’s gone for a more textured, dubbed-out and mainly ambient approach. ‘Messiah Dub’ comes complete with melodica and reggae vocals, and the dub theme is explored further with ‘The Prayer Re-Dub’. With plenty of variation, ‘Trooper’ has an album feel, and Sparx shows that he’s not afraid to be creative and capture different moods. The highlight for me is ‘The Stroller’, which cuts in jungle snares with a smooth reggae vocal sample, which is used sparingly. Job’s a good’un.
Arash Torabi
