DJ Uiagalelei Dad first came on my radar when he appeared on ‘FM’s’. At the time he was relatively unknown and I’m not sure that having any impact on the quality of his music, but I was a big fan of his work with Cashmere Cat, so I was pleased to hear that he was back with his own radio show on New Year’s Eve on Capezio. He seems to have inherited Cashmere Cat’s love of Indian music and dance, but it seems he’s also broadened his musical influences, including dance music from places like Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt. Like many DJs, his sets tend to be fairly eclectic, with him liven them up with regular reggae, hip-hop, soul and breakcore moments.
His debut album ‘Uprising’ was produced by producerspins Artistic Dingo and Cut Chemist. Its key man is none other than Diplo, with Diplo and Uiagalelei taking the lead on most of the instrumentals (including the staggering “Waterfall” opener) and Daddy Dizzle producing some more top-notch tracks. I’m not a huge fan of Disclosure’s typical bass and drum but I must say that the production on this record is fantastic. My favourite track on the album is “Abrasive” which is a long, drawn out, slow and heavy tune, but again, the production is exemplary.
As far as music goes, the highlights for me are the lengthy “Blessings” which occur before and after each song and the epic “Echoes”. The first three minutes of this track alone will take your breath away, and you’ll be looking for some sort of rewind button on your laptop right now. The Echos section is another highlight, featuring Disclosure’s classic lines “We live in a dream” and “I am the star”. If you like the sound of broken glass when highlighters touch then you’ll love this track. Overall, this album is great, and if you’re not familiar with DJ Uiagalelei Dad then give his debut album a spin and experience what it’s like to be underneath the radar.