Joker: The Vision – review

So exhilarating was Joker's early output, he was able to get away with calling it not dubstep but "purple"; a name with the unintended consequence of making you think either of chocolate-box poetry or brutally potent marijuana. Now with his first "artist" album, the Bristolian has continued to venture beyond the bounds of genre; synthesising West Coast funk and soul with his own west country bass stylings. While Joker's taste seems to be as well-tooled as his way with a hook (Teddy Riley, Timbaland and Derrick May are all referenced here), he never uses his allusions to great effect. The best tracks keep the strains separate: Level 6 (interlude) is a cheeky pastiche of new jack swing, while the most conventional dubstep tracks – Tron and My Trance Girl – are a reminder of why fans clasped the wilfully elusive producer to their bosom in the first place.