Nuff X - On The Line

Hear The Track Here

OK, we've had a bit of that, and a bit of this, so lets have a bit of the other. Time for a bit of nuffcore methinks. Now before you run away with the idea that nuffcore is some nasty internet beastliness, t'ain't. Nuff X is an electronica musician from the UK who, in the time I have known him, seems to have developed his own style, dubbing it nuffcore in the process. Anyone who has heard any of Nuff's bizarre little creations would be nodding their heads sagely at this point, understanding that no one does it quite like the Nuffster. At first he was into breakbeats and fairly standard electronica but this soon morphed into something infinitely more terrifying when he discovered the whole 'glitch' thing and nuffcore was truly born. God knows then, why On The Line is listed as an electro-pop number.

Don't be looking at me that way. I don't make this up.

Personally I like Nuff as a musician and I have for a long time, having reviewed pretty much everything he has to offer. He has been getting very adventurous of late, venturing (successfully) into some areas I would never have expected, and On The Line is one of them. See, this isn't just yer average electropop razzle dazzle, this my friends is a song. Sung, I would hazard a guess, by the man himself unless he's got himself some vocal samples I've never heard of and that is plainly impossible because I own everything that has vocals on, and in every format known to man. As it happens, the vocal is IMHO one of the highspots of this neat little track.

Big sigh of relief from Nuff then, that his pipes have passed the test - if indeed they are his vocals. Although On The Line has its share of Nuff-isms (percussion, arrangement and assorted aural oddities), there is a very tasty song wrapped up in it. Musically it doesn't do a whole lot but when you throw in that Robert Wyatt/Soft Machine type vocal with its treated and doctored sounds, it takes the track to a whole new level. Here is another artist who truly understands the old maxim that less is more. There are wide open spaces in this track (and probably gold in them thar hills too) that allow the vocal headroom to stretch out across the sound spectrum and really make an impact. Very, very odd ending though.

Highly Recommended vocal electropop, with that Nuff edge.