An inventive showcase of what’s possible when armed with just a sampler, a few studio toys and a fertile imagination, Paul White & The Purple Brain is the intriguing sophomore album from South London producer Paul White – his first for Now-Again. Well recommended!
A collaboration of sorts, the entire record is based around and inspired by the work of little-known Swedish psych-rock guru S.T. Mikael. Heavy on Eastern influences and otherworldly concerns, Mikael’s music ranges from searing electric guitar-led dirges to dreamlike ballads to ghostly atmospheric experiments and has been issued in tiny quantities since the 1990s on the Subliminal Sounds label.

Paul White & The Purple Brain is a remarkably diverse album that defies easy categorization. Which suits him and his “home” label One-Handed Music (in collaboration with whom Now-Again releases this album) just fine. Praised as someone who “embodies all that is good about a new generation of producers” (Dazed & Confused), Paul White has won over fans of left-leaning sounds and interesting hip-hop, including Diplo, Mary Anne Hobbs, Benji B and Gilles Peterson.