Brighton, UK, British presenter Fliptrix collaborates with Leigh Brothers, consisting of Illinformed and Leaf Dog, to produce his 11th solo record. The founder of High Focus Records and a member of Four Owls, he debuted in 2007 with Force Fed Imagery, followed by Theory of Rhyme and later 3rd Eye of the Storm and The Road to the InterDimension Piff Highway. “Out the Box” and “Polyhymnia” both came out a few years later, as did “Patterns of Escapism” and “Inexhale”, but they were introduced in Light Work and Mantra #9 to unleash Dragonfly.
“Striving” starts by completely stripping the drums down, connecting to a bare orchestral loop, always putting in a huge effort to achieve or achieve more, while “Forever” has a bit of soulful boom-bap-flare instrumentals that talk about having a spring in their step. represents this. The acoustic band “Keep Going On” wonders if they can move on with their lives because they’re unsure, but then “Dragonfly Steeze,” featuring Jazz T, revisits their titular style with a kick drum and snare drum.
Continuing from there, “See it in the Clouds” delivers a cloudy boom bap flare that forecasts rain and feels it in his bones that it’s going to come down, leading to “Make It Rain” skipping a soul sample for a minute discussing the importance of rain Rain itself. “Funky Microphone” blends piano with kick and snare drums, becoming more lyrical before the jazzy “Cosmic Scenes” ensures the sweet sounds of birds can be heard through the sirens.
“Spooky Times” retains its jazz influence, crossed with “boom bap” and talks about how nice it is to let beauty rise sometimes, while “The Glow” stays raw so that everyone who listens can feel the sunshine. The beat of “Paradoxical” has a darker vibe to heal you, while the flute-heavy “Making Waves” speaks to the craziness of these days. “Grapevine” retains the previous instrumental vibe that feels simultaneously happy and sad, while the title track ends the album with a jazzy statement of unconditional love for family.
A series of life-changing events forced Fliptrix to hole up in the studio and capture the true essence of his recent experiences in real time, resulting in his most vivid work to date while fully turning off the handbrake and cranking up emotion and energy to the highest levels. 11. It’s been a tumultuous year for everyone, including the birth of his daughter and the unexpected death of his father, who played in a ’70s rock band for which Dragonfly was named, and all of this. All within the ever-changing music scene he had long championed.
Score: 8/10
