Over two years since his last long player Flevans returns with his sixth studio album A Short Distance To Fall out now on Jalapeno Records.

Fans of Flevans will have become accustomed to an array of guest vocalists on his previous albums. Long time collaborator Laura Vane has featured heavily along with Sarah Scott, New Zealand’s Elliot Cole and Izo Fitzroy to name a few.

Flevans has taken a different tack with A Short Distance To Fall. Largely an  instrumental album it is a hark back to the old days of listening to an album from start to finish. A multi-genre approach, influences of downtempo, electronica, breakbeat, chilled house and lounge music can all be heard. The challenge “was to create something cohesive that could traverse the different genres he loved whilst remaining true to the Flevans sound.”

Album opener and title track A Short Distance To Fall sets the scene with it’s nineties-esque downtempo vibe. Reminiscent of Moby’s work on his album 18 from the period.

In Shadows, stays in the downtempo mode, uplifting breakbeats and choice vocal samples. Giving off a Kruder and Dorfmeister vibe.

There’s some house music, albeit on the more chilled side of House courtesy of Parasol and Legacy Spiral. The latter track really remiding us of Groove Armada.

Music For Modern Living regulars will be drawn to the catchy bassline of Heartaches – groovy headnodding business and the incredibly funky and most dabceable track on the album I Got Soul.

Almost all of Flevans previous output can be listened to in isolation or as part of a DJ set. Essentially a collection of singles, almost all aimed at the dancefloor and heavily influenced by Soul, Funk, Disco and House. What he’s done with this album, is to achieve, what he set out to do. Create an album that is a listening experience, that can only really be fully appreciated in one sitting. It seems so rare these days that people listen to albums in their entirety and I for one would love to see more albums concieved in this way.

12 tracks, 41 minutes. Do yourself a favour. Take some time and listen to this album front to back. You won’t be dissapointed.

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