To All Things What They Need

by Andy KellmanLike many of his peers who innovated throughout the late '80s and early '90s, Gerald Simpson has settled into production work that, while mostly enjoyable, isn't nearly as inspired or individualist as his early material. Play the blindfold test with a disciple of early 808 State and the first couple dozen Juice Box releases and see if various parts of To All Things What They Need aren't mistaken for latter-day Smith & Mighty or mildly diverting soundtrack work heard during episodes of any crime investigation drama. To his credit, Simpson has made a uniform album despite pulling from disparate sources (crunching IDM, swirling ambient, dark 'n' moody Detroit-style techno, middle-of-the-road drum'n'bass, trip-hop), but it's all but guaranteed to make longtime fans antsy by the end of track four.