Adamski has certainly been having fun
with this and the opener, the fast-flowing
and jumpy ‘3Step4Ever’, featuring Lee
“Scratch” Perry and the aptly named MC
Wildflower, is a declaration of intent. You
may not like it on the first hearing – I
thought it sounded like a rave tune for
people who are into three-legged races –
but it’s deeply embedded by the second
time around.
in Melody Maker in 1990, he nods to
a relationship between punk and rave,
pointing to the shared attitude, sense of
freedom and desire to break the rules.
These three elements are still there in
his 2015 creative manifesto - and you’ve
got to admit that’s something worth
supporting, regardless of whether you
and ‘Revolt’ become best buddies or not.
NGAIRE RUTH
ADAMSKI
Revolt
Future Waltz
Rave’s original pin-up boy pops his
head over the parapet with his first
album for 15 years
Adamski is often referred to as the first
pop star of rave music. He was a leading
light of the new breed of post-acid
producer/performers to achieve success
in the mainstream, most notably for his
killer ‘Killer’ single, for which he enrolled
the unique vocals of the then-unknown
Seal in 1990.
When mavericks like Adamski are still
recording and releasing new stuff –
six albums and 25 years later – you
know it’s because some big, fresh
idea is tickling their fancy and they’re
running with it out of curiosity or for
the adrenalin rush that comes from
being creatively motivated and having a
personal stimulus and focus. It’s a bit like
baking a cake. Everyone else benefits
from your delightful indulgence.
Adamski’s big, fresh idea is making the
quantum leap from 4/4 to 3/4 music. Or
3-step as he’s calling it. Which is why, as
well as covering several rock and punk
classics, ‘Revolt’ also includes a version
of Englebert Humperdink’s ‘The Last
Waltz’ (recorded with David McAlmont).
The same thing happens with a lot
of these tracks. ‘Revolt’ pushes the
boundaries in so many weird ways – and
not only with the unusual rhythms and
shifts in tempo – but it’s a great party
record. If it’s confused, it’s confused in a
good way, so leave your preconceptions
at the door. The likes of ‘Useless Man’
(Adamski versus Minty, Leigh Bowery’s
old band) and ‘Num Generation’ (”My
generation has gone / I just type on
my computer all day”) are tricksy, but
‘Artificial Waltz’ (a cover of ‘Art-I-Ficial’
by X-Ray Spex) and ‘London Dungeon’
with Congo Natty (once known as Rebel
MC), will amuse. And OMG, how many
people are going to be trying to burp
along to the belching sample that’s used
as a percussive instrument on ‘My Daddy
Was A Rockstar’?
There are safety nets, though. The slow
flow and perfect vocals of Shanki on
‘Tru Luv’ are beautiful (silly spelling also
forgiven), while ‘Pump Up The Waltz’
shifts the pace, brings depth and a sense
of expectation. I’ve never had Adamski
down as sexy (sorry Adam), but ‘Spin’
comes very close, with its dub reverbs
and sharp, snappy, whisked-in beats.
There’s the echo of an inner-city reggae
basement blues bar in many of the tracks
and the often dark yet always engaging
lilt of something akin to a Bavarian folk
dance everywhere. It’s even there in the
smooth moves of Betty Adewole’s almost
unrecognisable cover of Led Zeppelin’s
‘Dazed And Confused’.
Adamski’s curiosity about all types
of music and his understanding and
nurturing of sonic history is nothing new.
In an interview with Simon Reynolds