J-Walk has been making his inimitable sounds for a good while now. Working away and doing his own thing in his own way. His music has popped up on compilations by the seminal Grand Central and BBE labels amongst many others in between. Then there’s the sprinkling of albums and singles of rare and unique quality to boot. There’s been everything from big time anthem material like ‘Soul Vibration’ to the more headnod sounds of ‘Bugging Becky’ (also check the nice remix by the only Daniel Wang on that one) and the heavy heavy of ‘Godzilla Material’.

After three albums at the more chilled end of things with Wonderful Sound, he’s more recently combined with fellow Stopfordian, Jason Boardman to put out 2022’s Mellotronique, an original cassette drop that was then pressed up in all its glory. Each release has had an obvious evolution in the music, but each time holding strong with the core: simple but engaging melodies combined with killer arrangements of bite and groove.

And so now to this new one, ‘Broken Beauty’ also on Before I Die. A concept album of sorts, wholly produced in his hometown along with the rest of the package. Name checks need to happen for Small Press Studios on the look of the release, and Jason’s dedication to sonic perfection on the pressing. The brief was simple: combine a longtime affection and respect for Post Punk and Dub with a DIY aesthetic. Meanwhile, do away with modern technological conventions as far as possible and focus the creative path into originality. Or reductively, J-Walk does digidub. Cut it either way, the answer is ‘yes, definitely in for that’.

Album starter, ‘Bubbles on the Line’ walks the walk bringing some Casio inflected heat over a suitably slicing guitar line. A great opening salvo for what’s to come. Then ‘Janky Waltz’ opens up the FX box of tricks, firing bleeps and blasts left right and centre all with that dub undercurrent that just sounds good loud. ‘Black Lion Passage’ is pure instrumental digidub madness with its walking skank and signature fills and sound effects.

‘African Custard’ paints some darker shades along with a percussive edge crossed with twitching guitar strands and just a touch of Pablo, which lets face it, is never a bad thing. Bringing up the faders on a searing electronic intro, ‘Siz Pap Brick’ then steps into the subspace domain and layers on that sparing but effective Fender sound. Fitting in perfectly is his take (in the loosest sense) of Laidback’s ‘Walking in the Sunshine/Flyaway’ from ‘83, twisting it into a directional dub-funk anthem that’s all his own. From Platform zero to the Merseyway, SK music is in rude health.

‘Broken Beauty’ is available on vinyl from SK1 records and digitally via Bandcamp.