Djrum wanted to make a personal album. To do so, the British producer turned to old acquaintances like his piano from childhood. Previously mainly known for sample-friendly, playful bass music variations, »Portrait With Firewood« has become a more soulful affair. The synthesisers whisper longingly, broken piano chords trickle out of the soundbox (if it’s not a digital instrument), there’s singing here and there, and when the chips are down, a lonely violin releases its gentle notes into the wide world above it all. Described as the result of an emotionally exhausting year, the output is definitely not for people with a certain disregard for the combination of smoothly polished sound creations and cultivated sentimentality. »Portrait With Firewood« is always at its best when Djrum lets the piano be the piano and concentrates on dry synthesisers and his well-trained skills in chopping up rhythms, as in »Creature Pt.2« or »Sex«. Otherwise, listening to it increasingly raises the question of who really needs this well-honed latte macchiato of post-Dubstep so badly.
Portrait With Firewood
