In the past few years, Example has made quite a name for himself in the rap/electronica scene. Certainly, his style isn’t anything we haven’t seen before – a singer/producer dabbling in radio-friendly rave tracks over catchy four on the floor backings. This description could just as easily be applied to Calvin Harris, and the similarities don’t stop there – both Harris and Example’s singing abilities are at best debatable, and they both seem to bring in a lot of girls at their live performances. But, unlike Calvin Harris, who this summer has pushed out the undeniably catchy ‘Bounce’ and ‘Feel So Close’, Example is taking a rather different direction. A glance at the cover of the ominously-titled ‘Playing In The Shadows’ indicates this is a rather different album to 2010’s ‘Won’t Go Quietly’. Example clearly wants to show us his darker side vocally, which has only ever been hinted at before. This album also marks Example’s movement deeper into electronica – having worked with Calvin Harris and Sub Focus previously, this Londoner now brings in an all-star cast of production talent, including, among others, mau5trap’s Michael Woods and Feed Me, Dutch house legend Laidback Luke, Magnetic Man’s dubstep fiend Skream, and the undisputed kings of the UK scene, Nero and Chase & Status. With support like this, Example has given himself the best chance possible of delivering us a monster the likes of which hasn’t been heard since Magnetic Man’s self-titled album, or ‘No More Idols’ which, even 8 months down the line, occupies fully half of iTunes top ten electronic tracks. Even so, Example’s chart performance this year isn’t to be sniffed at – Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record In The World’ back in April, ‘Changed The Way You Kiss Me’, produced by Michael Woods, has received tremendous radio play, and has been in the iTunes top ten ever since its release. Having shot straight to the top of the charts with ‘Stay Awake’ (notably another recipient of ‘the hottest record in the world’ label), Example looks poised to smash the charts once again.
The album opens with ‘Skies Don’t Lie’, and from the offset we can hear that Example is taking a much darker direction this time around. The track is unrelenting, as Funkagenda provide a grimy backing peppered with string samples, and Example delivers an anthemic performance with a gorgeous vocal mod in the closing third of the track. Next up, the album’s lead singles follow back to back. ‘Stay Awake’ is a cocaine-themed cautionary tale, but it’s a heavyweight tune, kept thundering along by Nero – this could be the new ‘Kickstarts’, and goes to show that Example means business, in the form of delivering big-room bass-heavy tracks. After the equally-energetic ‘Changed The Way You Kiss Me’, the album opens out into the soulful ‘The Way’, produced by Faithless (of ‘God is a DJ’ fame), we’re presented with edgy, minor-key piano on the opening of ‘Natural Disaster’. It builds to a towering crescendo with Example’s urgent “need some air, need some space” lyric, before launching into a storming house breakdown – exactly what Laidback Luke does best.
The album then takes an unfortunate detour into mediocrity, with ‘Never Had a Day’ and ‘Microphone’ – while neither is a disaster, these two fail to hold the listener’s attention, and neither do they showcase the talent of Example or the producers involved, instead feeling stifled by an unwillingness to break out into anything more ambitious. However, the album’s title track, ‘Playing In The Shadows’ changes the mood up considerably. With dark acoustic guitar and minimalistic hi-hats, the echoing vocals feel a good deal like Chase & Status’ own track ‘Embrace’ – but the ominous bass wobble hints at things to come. This track is clear testament that this album is indeed dedicated to the darker side of Example, and Chase & Status shine in the last minute or so, bursting into full-fledged dubstep, replete with growling synths and sliced-up vocals, the likes of which haven’t been heard since Bar 9 remixed ‘Kickstarts’.
Next up is ‘Midnight Run’, produced by Feed Me (the electro house/dubstep alias of Hertfordshire drum and bass producer Spor). At a peculiar pace of 135bpm, this track lets the album open out a little, more reminiscent of tracks like ‘Last Ones Standing’. But the backing is jammed with the buzzing electro complexity so typical of Feed Me – his fans will certainly be reminded of his solo dubstep track ‘Blood Red’, as ‘Midnight Run’ moves into the breakdown, and Example tells us about the skeletons in his closet. The album’s next track, ‘Under The Influence’ is produced by Croydon legend Skream, but Example’s lyrics are predictable this time around. The track builds to become a techy dubstep monster, before lapsing back into the rather cheesy chorus, lending the whole thing a rather bipolar feel. While Example’s final drawling rap part is reminiscent of Drake on Eminem’s track ‘Forever’, the overall package is not one of the album’s high points. While ‘Wrong in the Head’ is an undisputed grimy big-room anthem, ‘Playing In The Shadows’ closes with the more gentle ‘Anything’, produced by serial remixer Dirty South. While ‘Anything’ is a story we’ve all heard before of a relationship falling apart, the combination of acoustic guitar and piano with Example’s heartfelt vocals make this a strong closing track which rounds the album off nicely.
In summary – Example has demonstrated his versatility as an artist, still producing chart smash hits, but with a dark twist. Backed up by some of the most talented names in electronic music, Example has once again delivered a very solid album, let down by only a couple of lacklustre tracks. If only he'd used the alternative cover Feed Me proposed...
Rating – 4/5
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