Vynehall's sense of musicality and use of instrumentation had begun to stand out in recent years ... but on Nothing Is Still he takes a huge step forwards.
Nothing Is Still is an album unaffected by the outside world; a piece of work unconcerned by preconceived perceptions.
Leon Vynehall’s previous album, 2016’s Rojus (Designed To Dance), was a great deep house record, but the sound design and ambience that surrounded the grooves suggested something deeper still. This potential has been realised on Nothing Is Still, along with a conceptual framework based on his grandparents’ time in New York, with tracks much more suited to headphone listening than the dancefloor.
Above all, Nothing Is Still is an excellent demonstration of what Leon Vynehall is capable of when he emerges from the confines of club music.
Even without knowing the backstory associated with Nothing Is Still, you can still appreciate all the luxurious beauty it has to offer. It's one of those albums that demands you give a certain amount of time and patience for it to reveal itself, and there's a lot to unpack here, but in the end, it's more than worth devoting your time and attention to.
British producer ditches house bangers for symphonic genius on his debut album.
Nothing Is Still never truly immerses itself in the dancefloor fodder Vynehall has become known for. Rather, the influence of Steve Reich and Philip Glass is so overt it’s almost lazy to point it out, which makes for moments of genuine encapsulation, but at times falls into self-indulgence.
While not as immediately appealing as his prior releases, Nothing Is Still is clearly designed to be appreciated through multiple listens, and it's ultimately a work of considerable depth and feeling.
Nothing Is Still comes bundled with a lot of big ideas ... But as a record it often feels too flimsy to support so much baggage.
What it lacks in real energy and excitement is more than made up for with a deep sense of place and atmosphere which truly consumes the listener.
This is a very bass heavy ambient album that you can truly feel the music breathing into your ears. I do think that even though the sound effects are cool this album really lacks any substance or reason to repeat. It's like a one off album you never go back to again and shelve away forever, but in the moment you are hearing it you like it. I wish this album stuck to me more after completing it but it just kinda slides off my mind and into a forgotten abyss. Very interesting soundscape but ... read more
A really cool array of instrumental songs, the use of repetitive samples and sounds works well in creating fun and sometimes peaceful tracks
This is a very bass heavy ambient album that you can truly feel the music breathing into your ears. I do think that even though the sound effects are cool this album really lacks any substance or reason to repeat. It's like a one off album you never go back to again and shelve away forever, but in the moment you are hearing it you like it. I wish this album stuck to me more after completing it but it just kinda slides off my mind and into a forgotten abyss. Very interesting soundscape but ... read more
#15 | / | Rough Trade |
#19 | / | Mixmag |
#24 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#36 | / | The Vinyl Factory |
#85 | / | NME |
/ | Esquire (UK) | |
/ | Magnetic | |
/ | Resident Advisor |