One of Ninja Tune’s original star producers, Funki Porcini (a.k.a. James Braddell), returns with his fifth album for the label, and with a first single like “This Aint the Way to Live,” there’s no doubt that Braddell has stuck to his downtempo/chillout roots. Here, sub-sonic bass, foreboding synth harmonies, and bits of squelch ride over dusty percussion that occasionally explodes in wet, synthetic fury. In some ways, “This Aint the Way to Live” is almost too dark for a club’s side room, but it is certainly perfect for rainy day walks or drives through a metropolis, its gray sonic pallette and plodding tones reflecting slick streets and soaked faces.

02 This Aint The Way To Live