J Beatz 6 Flavours

There’s an energy that listeners expect from Jason Jules, AKA producer J Beatz. With 6 Flavours he gives us that from the beginning, but rather than being more of the same, opener 'Escapade' is a summary of the producer’s journey recalling his UK funky days circa 2011 but presenting them in updated, grimy packaging. The EP comes to life afterwards. 'Merengue', a stylistic relative of his Sega Boy EP and another entry to add to his list of top-tier tunes, is a good appetiser and further makes way for the project’s winning contenders.

With a career marked by phenomenal tracks like 'Lay Down', 'Spontaneous', 'Hybrid', 'Dartford' and 'Sexy Greeze', it’s no shock when a song as good as 'Bright' begins to play. Heavy but upbeat, it’s a sweet entry with ear-catching qualities. The producer's recent experiments with drill flicker on 'Submerge', but no authenticity is lost and the result is something unpredictable. 'Contexture' has to be the coolest of the release. Swaying back and forth between grime and 2-step, and it’s easy to imagine a particular school of uber-talented MCs — Novelist, Coco, Brotherhood — complementing it. But it suffers nothing by being left alone.

6 Flavours is a rarity because every track hits. Producer Boylan’s additional refinement is crisp and with a track like 'Pinar' closing the door, with melodies that make you think of foreign climes, listeners will wonder what the young veteran will do next. This EP easily makes way for something full-length, a fairly uncommon occurrence in the musical realm J Beatz occupies. History indicates that it’s difficult to get right, but to focus on now, Jules is in prime form, and anyone who's a fan of this hyper-creative and relentless arena of music should be grateful for his unfading presence.