Plump DJs new Album "Saturday Night Lotion" from the Fingerlickin' stable distinguishes them from other breakbeat artists on simplicity and energy. It is the album which is most likely to make those who are not into breakbeat dance (yes, even fluffy madonna-lovin' girls). This is why I think that Plump are the true ambassadors of the breakbeat scene. It ain't complex on any level but it all fits together well and it WORKS. A bit like your standard Technics 1200 turntable.
Their clean, compressed breaks are well balanced and comprise of original instruments as well as familiar samples. Basslines are busy (almost melodic) and synth sounds employ the usual gamut of tweaks (I detected usual filters and fx's at play). Nothing unusual or unique, you may say, but as I said it's not what they use that's good, it's how they put it all together.
The one thing they do seem to use quite a lot of is vocal samples, which are used quite inventively (for instance some samples are even treated as percussion instruments). These give a massive amount of energy to their tracks (more so than changing tempos, stripping then layering percussions back or tweaking lfos would).
General Verdict: Energetic, well put together and something I do find myself listening to quite a lot - especially when riding home from work. It's also a great album to study if you're into making the stuff. But its only downside is that it sounds a tad over engineered and crafted for the dancefloor. It therefore lacks the eccentricity and flair to make it an album I love (for which, check out Freq Nasty). 7.5/10
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