Ghislain Poirier No Ground Under

Words: Joe Colly
Label: Ninja Tune
XLR8R Rating: 7/10

On No Ground Under, inimitable DJ/producer Ghislain Poirier enlists a vast crew of international pals–from France, Jamaica, and Brooklyn–to pepper his inventive beats with worldly touches of Trinidadian Soca and dancehall. The Montreal-based DJ’s choppy, futuristic hip-hop numbers can easily stand on their own, and in some cases, the guests overcrowd the tracks. But cuts like “No More Blood,” which features dancehall crooner Face-T, and the gritty “City Walking,” where freestyle MC Abdominal visits, are expert collaborations, fitting their vocalists like a glove. Some of the best tracks, though, find Poirier going it alone, like “Hit & Red,” with a broken, reconstructed beat that recalls Rounds-era Four Tet, and the ultramodern, Neptunes-y “It’s a War War War.”