Africa Hitech’s album, ‘93 Million Miles’, always ran the risk of falling a little flat. It’s myriad styles and influences threatened to drag it through numerous genres without ever stopping long enough to develop a coherent affinity with any of them. But instead of a complicated flop, we’re presented with a body of sound which exhibits tight beats and rhythms, the ability to reference other music without being beholden to it – or worse, guilty of mocking it – and some damn fine tunes.

The work of Mark Pritchard (Global Communications, Harmonic 313), and Steve Spacek and released through Warp back in May, ‘93 Million Miles’ is awash with electronica, grime, juke, jazz, Afrobeat, hip hop … we could keep going, but you probably get the idea by now. But far from being just a selection of ideas thrown together as a result of these influences, the songs come out sounding fresh, vital and, more importantly, fully realised.

From the spacey Afrobeats and heavy electronica of the opening title track, through to the menacing futuristic ragga of ‘Do U Wanna Fight’, the brutal ‘Glangslap’, and the sun-setter ‘Light the Way’, Africa Hitech are able to show they can utilise their eclecticism to produce an album as impressive as it adventurous.