Toddla T - Watch Me Dance

I happened to be in what can only be described as a ‘wine bar’ the other week. “Irrelevant opening line”, I hear you cry. Stay with me. In this particular establishment I overheard someone on a nearby table of people talking about how they’d heard a new song by “Annie Mac’s boyfriend” on the radio the other day. Far be it from me to detract from the modern-day influence and success of Annie Mac (I like her), but I feel that her aforementioned “boyfriend” deserves a smidgen more credit and recognition than he’s currently getting from casual, wine-swilling, music fans like ‘Tara’ over there.

In fairness, it’s unlikely that Tara’s view extends to the majority of the more dance-aware population in the UK, with the Yorkshireman’s stock having continued to rise since the early DJ sets which caught the ear of many of Sheffield clubber back in the mid-noughties. Now he’s everywhere. As well as being one of the UK’s best DJs on the circuit, Toddla T was responsible for one of the albums of 2009 with ‘Skanky Skanky’. Now under the Ninja Tune banner, his second ‘studio’ LP arrives to serve as a reminder of his undoubted talent when it comes to songcraft and production.

This latest record ‘Watch Me Dance’ provides an excellent cross-section of the state of UK dance music, almost acting as a chronicle of how beats have been shaping up in the past couple of years, and arguably how they’ll shape up in the next few.

The title track, having evolved from a Roots Manuva album demo to a fully-fledged dancefloor filler, doesn’t necessarily set the tone for the album’s stylistic approach (the ensuing 40 minutes are too varied for that) but it certainly sets the bar high in terms of quality from the off, with a three-chord bassline and whole series of synth patterns to rattle around your head and bring you under the Rodney Smith spell. The house piano which envelopes Shola Ama’s vocals on ‘Take It Back’ is also an authentic touch of brilliance, while Wayne Marshall’s delivery on ‘Streets So Warm’ provides a moment of reflection in the midst of an album of relative liveliness.

Despite the variety on show here, there is a clear Caribbean influence running through Toddla’s output as the latter part of the LP unfolds, with ‘Lovely Girl’ and ‘Do It Your Way’ both fusing R’n’B melodies with ingredients from soca and zouk. These in particular, sound carnival-ready, fit for mainstream consumption anywhere in the world while managing to retain their edge.

This album ought to cement Toddla T’s reputation as one of the most exciting producers around. ‘Watch Me Dance’ sees him successfully dodge the label of “jack of all trades, master of none”, not only on account of memorable songs, but also through the air of authenticity which permeates from every track. What’s even more impressive is the way in which he’s brought so many styles to the table and seamlessly juxtaposed them, resulting in an album of admirable cohesion and undeniable vibrancy.