Album Review: Comfort by Maya Jane Coles

Maya Jane Coles' rise through the ranks of UK house was almost meteoric, and it's been hard not to root for her the whole way. Her slinky and low-slung productions have definite commercial viability, but there's also an unusual sense of space in her music. That's not even mentioning her knack for melody, something that's particularly evident when she sings.

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Following the exceptional Not Listening EP and DJ Kicks comp for !K7, Maja Jane Coles slows down the dance BPM a touch for her 2013 full-length debut, Comfort. Quite a bit bluer and calmer, where her previous music featured the four-on-the-floor pep of traditional house, this album falls closer to witch house and the rainy gloom associated with trip-hop. "Blame," featuring Nadine Shah, feels most reminiscent of this '90s Manchester style; that is, until the introduction of "Wait for You," which features Tricky's notoriously whisper-sexy vocals.

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British/Japanese producer, remixer and DJ Maya Jane Coles has rightfully garnered steady praise for the last few years of her career. The 25-year-old has been behind a number of high-profile remixing gigs, two BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes, a DJ Kicks compilation and numerous awards for her DJing and production work – and that’s not even touching on her own numerous solo EP releases. It’s been a long time coming – with anticipation fuelled by the What They Say EP – but Coles has finally dropped her debut LP.

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Here's one sure sign that contemporary electronic dance music is getting better: It's slowing down. The amped-up tempos and overeager productions of the late-EDM era were the last refuge of insecure, overcompensating producers. That's why "Comfort," the languid and melancholy full-length debut from the young London producer Maya Jane Coles, feels so assured.

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