Julien Dyne, best known for his work as the drummer for Opensouls and Tyra and The Tornadoes, is here with his debut album Pins and Digits.

Having worked with the likes of Verse Two, Nathan Haines, Fat Freddy's Drop and Ladi 6 people have been much anticipating this album especially since his first release; Phantom Limbo EP in 2007.

'Steel Legs' opens the album with lots of synth, percussion and sonic. It certainly makes you sit up and listen as there is a lot going on!

'Layer' ft. Mara TK is a much easier listen. The deep sound of the brass interwoven with the vocals makes this a sexy sassy song, one to indulge in on a cosy night in.

I love the jazzy feel of 'Incredulous'. It's warm and inviting and mixes the old worn in stylee sound of jazz with a futuristic sonic sound. This is truly funky.

Moving on to a solemn sonic sound is 'Deaky'. This track brings the tempo down and adds some seriousness to this album.

'Stained Glass Fresh Frozen' ft. Mara TK opens with a good strong steady beat which turns to hand claps. The melody is ultra modern sonic which mixes well with the sexy male vocals. This is a catchy tune.

'Conglomerates' isn't the strongest track on this album, in fact far from it, but the beat is quite cool nonetheless.

Back to the old style funky jazz is 'Fallin-Down' ft. Parks, this is a much slower tempo than previous tracks but it has a certain sophistication about it. Nice.

The intro of 'Behind The Forage' transports us to the tribal sound of drums which is cleverly mixed with a sonic melody. There is a coolness about it that I like. It's different and stands out in a crowd!

'Toothnail - Reprise' has a sharp crisp sound which just screams cool, from the beat to the repetitive melody.

Slower tempo'd is 'The Jung And The Fine'. The synth used in this track is subtle but it works.

'New New Zealand' is more modern sounding with a haunting laugh played in the background which is a little weird! This is not a favourite of mine. It's a little creepy sounding but the beat is good.

'Spirits' is a strange song. The intro opens with what sounds like bones or chains clanking together and this noise stays throughout the entirety of the song. Over the top is a beautiful sounding harp strum which then opens to percussion and some fantastic saxophone playing. A beautiful song on top of something quite sinister sounding.

The final track on this album is the Submariner Mix of 'Stained Glass Fresh Frozen' ft. Mara TK. This is a funky song and I actually prefer this version than the earlier one on this album.

Julien Dyne certainly knows how to cater to his audience by throwing different sounds into the mix and keeping his sound fresh and funky.

8

Helena Rea