Diary of an Afro Warrior

by Andy KellmanThe dubstep release with the highest profile in 2008, Diary of an Afro Warrior is the second album from Croydon producer Benga, following 2006's Newstep, but it might as well be considered his first, given the push behind it. Like Burial, Benga roams outside the rigid strictures of dubstep -- entailing the form's stout-but-agile, tightly coiled rhythms and arsenal of imposing effects, from wide scythe-like synth swipes to stunted raygun zaps -- but here, the crossover could easily pass for what was termed IDM in the early to mid-'90s or, in a couple slightly reaching instances, West London broken beat. Opener "Zero M2" is an immediate challenge to those who expected a straight-up dubstep album, its fusion-informed twinkles of plangent Rhodes and acoustic bass taking the spotlight. The producer is often most effective when he strips it down, as he does after the midpoint in "Light Bulb," where gaunt but restless percussion, crisp handclaps, dark-hued shimmers, and a distant chant produce terrors as deep and lasting as any of its stockier counterparts.