Building on his reputation for eclecticism and reinvention, Jack Adams, better known as Mumdance, recently returned with new album ’Twists and Turns’ off the back of a two-year hiatus to taking time out from endless touring.
Since being discovered by Diplo in 2008, Jack has proven adept at keeping ahead of the music curve. His initial collision of indie and staunchly British grime was to set the tone for the early part of his career, propelled by Diplo and Mad Decent’s backing from a bedroom remixer to a DJ touring the world within three months. That first era of Mumdance production was heavily influenced by the aesthetic of 8-bar grime and releases in this period led to two world tours and exposed Jack’s mind to all sorts of regional music from around the globe. From these influences, Jack pursued an even more varied working style, concentrating on a string of such wide-ranging international production collaborations with NYC punks Cerebral Ballzy and UK grime bangers for Boy Better Know to techno in Paris with Brodinski and tropicália for electropop heavyweights Bonde Do Role in Brazil. This fruitful period of travelling and producing, what he refers to as a ‘second wave of his career’, culminated in his first mixtape album; Different Circles – a sprawling compilation of 13 of his best tracks blended together into a 40 minute mix.
The new record ‘Twists & Turns’ looks to very different sources from those that created the first LP and strong outside influences have been replaced with esoteric introspection and drawing upon Adam’s youth influences taking in everything from 90s hardcore and proto-jungle to shoegaze classics whilst maintaining numerous nods to grime greats, pushing the new 130BPM instrumental grime wave. The new live show keep things as raw as possible, concentrating on the sound, vibe and dance floor, rather than relying on light shows or gimmicks.
Jack’s eclectic discography and ability to work within both electronic and guitar based scenes is concrete proof that he always likes to keep things moving and not rest in one place for too long. You literally never know what you are going to hear next.
