25
years ago this month, in May of 1996, Up, Bustle & Out released
their sophomore album, One Colour Just Reflects Another, on the Ninja
Tune label.
The group is primarily the brainchild of Rupert
Mould & David Fell, who recruit a vast array of guest musicians and
regular co-collaborators on their internationally flavored albums. I
first heard this album sometime around 1998 when a friend lent me the
CD. This was just as the technology to copy CDs to CD-R came into
common use with the appearance of cheap blanks. This was one of the
first albums I ever cloned this way! I know that’s a bit shameful of a
confession, but I did eventually buy a legit copy when I was able and
subsequently picked up their entire catalog, or as much of it as I could
get.
What set this group apart in the arena of (mostly)
instrumental hip-hop & downtempo electronica was their global flair,
particularly when it came to Latin and South American influences. One
Colour… was a gorgeous mosaic of inspirations, incorporating urban beats
with snippets of Latin folk music, weaving it all together into a
travelogue of sounds from around the globe. This approach was a direct
result of the pair’s nomadic nature as they traveled the world in search
of new elements to incorporate into their funky soundscapes. This
wanderlust would take them on journeys to every corner of the globe
throughout their career and leave in their wake a rich tapestry of music
on each successive album.
For me, it’s music that hasn’t aged
at all. A quarter century of journeying has brought together a legacy
that remains as relevant and vital as the day it was released.
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