- It's a literary cliche that an author is only capable of writing one work, the others being variations on the same theme. Applying this idea to music isn't difficult. And if there's one producer whose output can be said to be truly autobiographical, one whose sound is a distillation of disparate influences but who falls into said literary category, it's Colin McBean, AKA Mr. G. The amazing thing, of course, is that McBean has done this without displaying the slightest degree of stagnation. From his early days as part of the KCC Sound System to his partnership with Cisco Ferreira in The Advent through to his current incarnation as Mr. G, McBean's music has been informed by a lack of compromise.
Coming from a land where bass is the lingua franca, his music is relentlessly confrontational yet simultaneously soul-tinged. The devil is in the details: There is an analogue warmth that characterises all of McBean's work. That, and clever EQing, a restrained use of vocal samples and a distinct space between the sounds. Sure, you've heard these elements plenty of times before. But McBean is a craftsman; when he makes things, they just sound better than anyone else.
"Dark Town Orchestra" has dramatic low-end drops that seem to be inhabiting a haunted chasm, its rolling bass rising and falling along with a soaring retro synth line. Slightly slower and moodier than most of G's output, "Platonic Solid No 5" sounds like the soundtrack to a crack-addled episode of Scooby Doo. "Space-Bassed" has even more lovely bass-heavy drops with a whiny siren going off in the background.
The only track that seems slightly out of place is the big city beats of "Stolen Moments," but it's a fitting conclusion and a glimpse into a parallel universe that will definitely tolerate further exploration. There's a saying in football that the game is a simple one complicated by fools. Apply the same sentiment to house/techno and it's no wonder that McBean is still at the top of his game. Still Here (Get On Down) is primal, tribal house as unproblematic as it comes.
Tracklist 01. Blessed
02. Firewater
03. Dark Town Orchestra
04. Platonic Solid No.5
05. Get On Down
06. Space Bassed
07. Lord Have Mercy
08. Light n' Shade
09. Stolen Momentz