Mali Larrington-Nelson, the DJ and producer better known as Shy One, is one of those people who was born at the exact right time, and the exact right place. She's just old enough and has enough proximity to be steeped in a rich tradition of late 20th-century to early 21st-century musical traditions that kept, and still keep, dancefloors moving in the UK: dub, lovers rock, street soul, house, grime, UK funky, broken beat, etc. At the same time, she's young enough to still be adding to the canon, bringing new perspectives to old ideas, and even newer ideas to new ideas. It's a London thing.
Larrington-Nelson's perspective is never one-sided or one-islandic either: check her loved radio shows on NTS, and you'll hear the sounds of Black Britain dovetailing with Black America, the Caribbean, Africa, and beyond. When she's behind the turntables or in the studio, Shy One is a world boss.
Across her long-awaited (actually) second album, Mali, named in recognition of the feeling of personal growth she's experienced in recent years, and a nod to the broader array of diasporic traditions she draws from, she achieves a rarified level of creative clarity. To some extent, artists are always products of their backgrounds, life experiences, and the choices they make within these frameworks. The real magic comes from understanding these forces and bending them to one's will.
From the opening chords of 'Evidence of My Love Affair', a heady mix of archival interview audio, jazzy keyboards, and rolling subs, "Mali" unfolds like a cultural history lesson, while still actively mapping out new ways forward in sound and rhythm. Lead single 'I Can Tell', featuring George Riley, is a masterclass in '90s RnB reimagined as new-era broken beat for the bruk set. Similarly, 'Moonlight', featuring Private Joy, twists motifs from street soul and 80s boogie into an after midnight lust song for the ages. When the squelchy, shuffling future soul of 'Driving On Sand', featuring Steve Spacek powers up halfway through the album, the case is closed. "Mali" by Shy One is undeniable.
It's not just the vocal tracks that get it done either, across the rapidly transforming beatscapes of 'Nort West', she blends grime and house into a hefty riddim that stays adventurous and exciting from the typewriter-esque intro to the final kick drums. A track later, 'Same New Song' delivers an elegant broken-beat/breakbeat-type beat draped in lush jazz chords and twitchy sci-fi sounds.
When James Massiah pops up to deliver a languid, spoken-word rap over a spectral 2-step beat near the end, he provides an opportunity for introspection and reflection. Larrington-Nelson takes us so many places on 'Mali', but they still feel connected and relational. Listening to the record reminds me of stumbling through one of those increasingly rare multi-zone parties held in a unique location, and being stunned by how good the music sounds in every single room.
Where will we go? Everywhere. What will we do? Everything. The night is still young.
Mali by Shy One is out now in vinyl and digital formats.
