What is this box of delights? It’s hip-hop and trip-hop, jazz and reggae – all chucked into a big cast iron cauldron and left to simmer and bubble until its essence consumes all. Aria Wells (for it is she) collaborates with a cast of tens to create this blissed-out vibe. The feeling you get from listening reminds me of Tricky’s Maxinquaye.
Free My People is one of the year’s best tracks. The dubby This Sound runs it close. But you could dip into virtually any tune on Man Made and enjoy the trip. At more than an hour long, this is an album that sprawls. But at least it sprawls with purpose.
the dark flux 