Baauer proves there's more to him than his dubstep past

Artists like Skrillex, Knife Party and Baauer approached songwriting like a theme park ride: obnoxious, gaudy and full of drops. By 2015 the ride was over. Dubstep’s maximalism was replaced by the refined sophistication of The Chainsmokers and Skrillex packed his bags and headed behind the boards for Ed Sheeran, the Weeknd and Lady Gaga. Now that we’re safe from every song coming with a VWARPPP-ing remix, we can see the fun for what it was.

However, if there’s one person who did survive that era with grace, then it’s Baauer. Yes, the man behind “Harlem Shake”, the 2013 song turned viral moment when YouTuber Filthy Frank turned it into in dance craze. The prospect of that song’s creator pulling together a complete and compelling album sounds as ludicrous as Filthy Frank himself becoming a pop sensation (oh wait), but Baauer already did that on his debut Aa. That 2016 hip-hop project parred his cold synths with icier bars from Pusha T, Novelist and others, making for a complete and compelling collection.

Planet’s Mad is a bold step in a stranger direction though, a colourful and cosmic odyssey which evokes Flying Lotus in spirit and the '90s big beat maximalism of Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx in style. The concept is a loose one, but these instrumentals are indeed galactic in size, rich with bright colours which evoke a tripped-out anime set in space; the soundtrack to an extraterrestrial caravan.

Unlike the cheap thrills of “Harlem Shake”, Baauer’s productions here are detailed and dense, while somehow retaining the looseness of dubstep’s best drops. Opener “PLANCK” sets the scene magnificently by disrupting some ominous ambience with a colossal tuba which would feel at home amongst the monoliths of 2001. The following music is heady and evocative, cutting hard beats with shots of contorted '80s synths which remind of the urban mystique of cyberpunk classics like Akira.

Other tracks feel more grounded, focussed on the feet rather than the head. “YAHOO” starts with pan-flute familiar to followers of the kinder side of dubstep Baauer once trail-blazed, before the tension is released into a banger which is relentless, shapeshifting and colourful. The tribal “PIZZAWALA” follows, lit by thunderous samba drums which feel punk in energy. “Harlem Shake” was criticised for taking from the hip-hop dance of the same name born in 1980s New York, but “REACHUPDON’TSTOP” rectifies that ignorance by paying cultural dues to the '80s DJ culture which gave Baauer his first hit, the song raising their chopped and screwed vocal samples to an outlandish freneticism.

Clear historical reference points like this and the nu-funk of '90s Britain which run through the album - combined with expansive and interstellar experiments - make this record one hell of a ride. There are even drops, but in the midst of a complex and deep soundscape, the driving pulses of songs like “HOT 44” sound more like a spaceship’s cylinders firing than an obvious candidate for a dance craze. By taking dubstep’s ideas and expanding them, one of the icons of that half-beloved, half-derided era has made a kind of a time capsule; granting longevity to an era of music which had liberation at its heart.