RYD - Ryd [CD]

RYD, aka North London producer and songwriter Ryan Downie is inspired by the frankness of Bon Iver's work, the more experimental wing of 90s R&B - think Timbaland, The Neptunes, Missy Elliot - his classical upbringing and a fondness for jazz composition that all come to the fore on his intoxicating self-titled debut album. Opaque electronics matched to heart-rending songwriting, bleached out digital production underpinning the most poignant of vocals, the album is a work of solitary creativity that is constantly in flux.