Chase and Status: Tribe review – manic energy

Subtlety and nuance rarely appear on dance producers Saul Milton and Will Kennard’s mood board. Their chief aim here appears to be to bludgeon the listener into submission, by awkwardly welding dated drum’n’bass backdrops on to songs; aping the Prodigy, as on the truly abysmal Slaves collaboration Control; or lazily rehashing their former glories on the bland Emeli Sandé single, Love Me More. Things improve considerably when the production and guest coalesce, typically when rappers are involved. The pair create the perfect soundbed for Section Boyz’s manic energy on Know About We, while the furious NRG is matched by Novelist’s head-spinning delivery. Overall, though, a missed opportunity.