If you knew beforehand that Nick Schofield’s primary instrument used to be the drums, you probably wouldn’t expect to hear the sounds that are coming your way from his latest album, Blue Hour. Yet, with inventive, inspired and well-versed artists, as Schofield presents himself here, you should expect the unexpected, particularly if it turns out that the sounds are something you want to hear. After all, the primary instrument shouldn’t mean much anyway. Take Barry Adamson as an example; he dabbles with drums on occasion.
But let’s stick with Schofield, who actually deals mostly with electronics these days, and his take on them is more leaning towards the jazzy side of ambient rather than what you would expect from ‘pure’ ambient or electro-pop these days.