Lee Bannon - Pattern Of Excel Album Review

Sacramento producer Lee Bannon, who first came to light through his work with Joey Bada$$ as part of the Pro Era crew, has elevated far beyond the realm and limits of your average hip-hop producer. In fact, he's pretty much left that world behind entirely. His first album 'Alternate/Endings' showcased a Jungle inspired fury, and 'Pattern Of Excel', released through Ninja Tune, takes a leftfield route filled with ambient soundscapes and hypnotic synthesizers.

The beautiful, reverb-filled 'Artificial Stasis' is sparse, slow moving and drenched in intermittent, subtle percussion and eerie, captivating vocal samples. The mature and mellow production is a winning combination. 'Suffer Gene' makes equally outstanding use of vocal samples, creating a soothing, thought-provoking experience, with effectively textured synthesizers taking you on a journey through an entrancingly structured track. 'Shallowness Is The Root Of All Evil' is a dreamy, electronic guitar led cut; Lee Bannon's diverse range of materials is impressive and consistently effective. 

Paufex's glitchy, piercing vocal excerpts and restrained backdrop makes it another outstanding track, and the out-of-tune, manipulated piano on 'DAW In The Sky For Pigs' sets a touching scene; the melodies and expertly insightful production choices create a captivating and memorable mood. 'Disneµ Girls' creates a similar effect, with simplistically textured guitar and synth pads; less is more is often the case, and Lee Bannon utilises that old saying to maximum potential on 'Pattern Of Excel'.

Lee Bannon's second album is an experience. When played front to back, the journey is complex, rewarding and ultimately very satisfying. With a varied range of production tools, moods and approaches, 'Pattern Of Excel' is a very well executed display of versatility and skill. Lee Bannon's creativity seemingly knows no bounds, and his journey from now is set to be an exciting one. 

4/5

Sam Bennett