- The UK artist tears through UK garage, electro, jungle and pop on her Ninja Tune debut.
- Whether she's behind the decks or hunkering down in the studio, Manchester-based DJ and producer Anz is known for championing UK club music of all stripes. Her bustling portfolio is a walk through the expansive history of the hardcore continuum, shuffling through sickly sweet 2-step, roughhousing hardcore and warm and effervescent UK funky. The music exists in a continuous state of forward motion, fueled by its own chipper melodies and lurching percussion.
Coming via Ninja Tune, Anz's latest offering is a two-part concept record. All Hours was curated to capture the verve of a 24-hour rave marathon, while also serving as a love letter to the UK scenes and sounds that make for a good yarn in the groggy days following a big night out. True to form, the momentum across the record builds and regresses with the pulse of an extended club night. The record opens with sparkling arpeggiated chords, a wistful, sober precursor to the record's main events. A transition with the imprint of a DJ's ultra-smooth touch leads to the pop-focused "You Could Be," featuring George Riley's acrobatic breathy vocals over serotonin boosts of synth.
When the first few notes of the UK garage roller "Real Enough To Feel Good" chime in, we're still not quite at peak-time. Chipmunk vocal cuts hop-scotch over the relaxed 2-step beat, while the breakdown's deep bassline officiates the EP's perfect marriage of lighter and darker elements.
This seductive tension between bright and shadowy sounds makes All Hours as vital as any other Anz record. After three minutes of urgent shouts and hard-nosed electro kick drums on the rowdy "Inna Circle," the blinds swing open to reveal dawdling, sun-kissed pads. And the vertiginous, dive-bombing jungle of "Last Before Lights," taking the EP to its fever pitch, is assuaged by sweet piano chords towards its finale, fit to raise everyone's tired arms one last time at the end of the night. Anz takes us all the way to the final stretch, transforming whatever mundane environment—whether it's a familiar tree-lined street, a friend's living room or (in my case) a cramped home office—into a night full of antics and adventure.
Tracklist01. Decisions (AM Intro)
02. You Could Be (feat. George Riley)
03. Real Enough To Feel Good
04. Inna Circle
05. Last Before Lights
06. Quest Select (AM Outro)