This was a peculiar release for me. Entirely written and produced by one Jonathan Redford under the name Diesler, the first ten tracks on Diggin' It Something Rotten are as pure a Latin/Cuban jazz-funk as you're likely to find coming out of Lancashire, which, provided your heart is still beating, will give you the uncontrollable desire to salsa (for better or worse). While present during almost every moment, computers do not drive the sound of these tracks. They sound very crisp and authentic. But the last two songs tap into a whole other side of young Jonathan, fusing a hard synth subbase to the more organic style and structure established by the rest of the album. Personally, I'd like to hear more of this kind of output. "Heist Theme" and "Calling All Cars" are, in my opinion, the sickest tracks on Diggin' It Something Rotten, and I'd like to see that approach extended to a fully realized project as opposed to the afterthought/bonus track way in which they are presented here. This is not to say the rest of this album sets out to leave you wanting. "High Time," Diesler's first vocal production, sees Double Yellow working her best Alice Russell over a cascading keyboard with a porn-funk bassline heartily represented in the mix. The last two tracks just caught me a bit off-guard, is all, and gave me questions.
1. Cotton Wool
2. Downtime
3. Sandcastles
4. Burnley Wallet
5. Redux
6. Dark Water
7. High Time
8. Dawn Of The Dead
9. City Of God
10. Lovestruck Killers
11. Calling All Cars
12. Heist Theme
More about: Diesler
