Uberzone: Faith in the Future : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Uberzone mastermind q is a leading practitioner of "nu-skool breaks," which mixes drum-and-bass' subatomic bottom end and trance's synth-driven, hypnotic rave vibe with - most important - the party-up electro syncopation of Eighties hip-hop. The thirty-four-year-old Southern Californian brings it all back home on "2Kool4Skool," a majestic collaboration with hip-hop originator Afrika Bambaataa that'll make you throw your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care. Still, Faith is no nostalgia trip. The scary atmospherics and dramatic build of "Black Widow" make for a newfangled raver classic. Dub confection "Science Fiction," featuring haunting vocals from reggae superstar Beenie Man, forges links within dance hall and rap's drum-machine diaspora. But it's the varying textures on Faith that prove Uberzone to be a true renegade of funk. The undulating, empyreal harmonies on "Dreamtime" suggest the Cocteau Twins jamming with Laurie Anderson; the title track's lush ambience evokes a journey into another of Eno's green worlds. For all his stylistic breadth, Uberzone ultimately succeeds by fulfilling hip-hop's original mandate, as laid down by Bambaataa himself: He makes beats that rock the block - and the planet.

MATT DIEHL
(RS 877 - September 13, 2001)