Various Artists – Follow The Outline

Having been formed back in 2006, the ATIC label was producer/DJ Aim's way of gaining control over his output. Since then he's taken a few more artists on to his roster, and in the space of four years, ATIC has released some consistently exciting material.As the decade turns, ATIC has perhaps hit on their most thrilling discovery yet in the shape of The Witch and The Robot whose skewed take on folk strays towards the psychedelic. So it is unfortuate that there's no material by the band on this compilation, but perhaps they're a band for the future, and this compilation celebrates the label's past.Kicking things off with Aim's 'Cortiss Avenue North' we're in distinctly different territory to what you might have expected if The Witch and The Robot was your introduction to the label.. A bright horn section, as used to grace the old Acid Jazz records ensures that there's a sunny disposition to the opening of the album. Aim's other contributions as an artist include Northwest (featuring frequent collaborator Niko) remixed by labelmates Gripper. Niko's vocals are arresting, and the backbeat is swamped with a grimly ominous throb and thrum. It rolls along like Primal Scream circa Vanishing Point, all grimly funky with a slight Kraftwerk influence with added disco-balls.Aim's final contribution as an artist comes courtesy of the quite brilliant 'Before'. Once again he utilises a horn section perfectly and evokes the likes of The Pharcyde, Jurassic 5 and De La Soul. He cribs lines from Public Enemy, and adapts his vocal tone to take in a slight sip of Ice-T. Despite all the influences it still stands on its own merits and the nostalgia contained within the lyrics almost makes it a kind of hip-hop 'Penny Lane'. The smoothness and laid back groove flies in the face of bling and posturing ”“ 'Before' is definitely a major highlight.Elsewhere we find some new material from Death of the Neighbourhood, a moniker used by the frantically prolific Stephen Jones (also known as Babybird). 'Cokeholes' is a remix of a track taken from his 2008 album and it serves as a timely reminder that Jones is one of Britain's greatest songwriters. Acerbic, witty and set against a wonderfully pounding electro influenced backbeat, it's hard to not be drawn in by Jones' way with a tune.Two new tracks from Jones make an appearance here. 'The Beautiful Things We Dirtied Up' harks back to his lo-fi releases, with Jones adopting a high-pitched childlike delivery which he delivers over a strangely quaint and haunting melody crammed full of peculiar magical moments. Manhattan Floats meanwhile is steeped in creepy atmosphere more at home to a black and white murder mystery than tales of a cornershop. This is not surprising really given Jones' foray into the more cinematic end of the musical spectrum (see Plastic Tablets for further examples).For every success there's always one that lets the team down. In the case of ATIC records it's the Grange Hill monkiered Gripper. Seemingly short of ideas, Gripper's contributions are more disappointing than anything else. 'Zombie' shambles past without drawing too much attention to itself, and zombies are usually pretty striking. A simple electro bass line and a fair basic beat combine and do little else for the duration. If zombies don't do the trick then aliens should but the call for the files on UFOs to be released that is 'The Right To Know' manages to make the whole subject of alien life tedious, which is some going when you think about it. 'El Reudo' promises much with its mysterious intro, but just ends up flapping about it a sub-par acid jazz death twitch. Finally, 'Styrofoam Head' stalls before it even gets started. Even the cut ups that introduce it and the Spanish flavoured guitar that is introduced midway through fail to trigger any kind of interest.Elsewhere, we get the charming folk of Paperboy, which suggests that The Witch and The Robot actually wouldn't have been out of place here after all. Crowhead meanwhile try their best to create some nefarious sounding dance with some rough squelching synths and old skool beats. It harks back to SL2's DJs Take Contol and a time when Normski would criticise people for wearing a shirt while he was garbed in a luminous jumpsuit topped off with a pair of purple clogs ”“ ah Dance Energy how we miss your wholesome chuckles.As with any compilation there are a few clunkers, but more often than not Follow The Outline consistently hits the spot. As such, this is a great representation of a young label that can only go on to greater things.

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