Zomby – Dedication

Despite a reputation for egotism and extreme unreliabilty in actually turning up to his own shows, Zomby has been lauded frequently as a 'genius' of the UK electronic music scene by fans and fellow producers alike. Although it serves as a fine showcase for his spacious, impeccably sculpted tracks, Dedication probably isn't the kind of major statement that fans have been waiting patiently to hear.

It was obvious that Zomby's preference for short, evocative sketch-like compositions was always going to be difficult to reconcile to the full-length album format; with his penchant for jarringly abrupt endings and fast fade-outs only adding to this problem. Despite its structural shortcomings, Dedication is a sonically exquisite record that finds Zomby refining his timbral palette to impressive effect - but only on the sublime Irina Dubtsova-sampling Natalia's Song does he manage to craft anything that could legitimately be said to approach genius. [Mark Shukla]