After riding the wave of deserved hysteria created by single and EP releases on his own label, Bristolian dubstep prince Joker has finally dropped his full-length debut, The Vision, on 4AD – and it thankfully lives up to the considerable hype.

Diehard fans of the precocious producer may label the LP’s littering with vocals as a move designed to garner more commercial success – but they’ll soon be appeased by the news that an instrumental version of the album will be along shortly. And, more likely than not, they’ll also be pacified by how well each vocal collaboration on this version of the release works.

After the obligatory atmosphere builder Intro, the album immediately takes off. Slaughter House (which has been doing the rounds under the moniker Here Come The Lights for a few months) promises to ‘take you out of here’ – and it’s a promise which the rest of the album, and indeed the rest of the song, delivers on emphatically. Slaughter House is up there with Joker’s very best tracks, and showcases his knack of combining earth-shattering bass and funky rhythms with consummate ease. Title-track The Vision is almost as impressive, and even more effortless – with the collaboration of female vocalist Jessie Ware keeping the sound fresh.

Joker doesn’t rely on his vocal collaborators though; old favourite Tron is Joker at his grimy best, with a trademark wobble that’s as catchy as a dubstep can possibly be. Milky Way dances around in a digital dream, while My Trance Girl’s thumping synths have to be heard to be believed.

The tail-end of the album sees Joker unleash his grimiest collaborations. Lost features a soulful choral sample, suddenly smashed aside by lines of angry rap – and Back In The Days memorably takes aggressive grime one step further.

The Vision is an album on which the supremely-talented Joker seems to grow, track by track. It’s well thought out, perfectly measured, and pretty much everything it should be. Believe the hype.

-Alex King-