Howie B – Down with the Dawn (2014)

Howie B has been one of the most influential figures in electronic music for nigh-on twenty years, releasing twelve solo albums, and producing the likes of Bjork, Tricky and U2, not to mention his work on countless movie soundtracks. His latest album Down with the Dawn is an assured and mature elegy to the tragedies in life we all have to face at one time or another – a piece of work inspired by the passing of two of his closest friends that feels shot through with a certain existential sorrow, matched with a somewhat mantra-like spiritual dimension. It’s the kind of record that is perfect for a thoughtful morning-after-the-night-before walk through the urban sprawl as the sun glints in through the corners of the concrete and reminds you to smile, because you’re alive.