polaroids of androids

Unkle Ho - Circus Maximus

I like the ideas that the good Unkle tries out on this record. The mix of notable influences of Asian, European and Australian cultures, combined with his own hip-hop production skills are nicely balanced and well executed. The minimal beats and orchestral moments are technically well thought and, at times, seem to work very nicely.

However, this record is ultimately an uneventful affair. Although the listener waits, it's apparent by around the halfway mark that this album is never going to get out of second gear. On first listens it's even hard to even distinguish between when one collection of repetitive samples ends and another one starts.

I think there is definitely some potential awesomeness here in what Unkle Ho is trying to do, unfortunately his unwillingness to mix things up a bit and throw some creativity into the arrangements is what will keep repeat listens of this album down to an absolute minimum.