Skip to content
Reviews

Magnetic Man, ‘Magnetic Man’ (Startime International)

After nearly a decade of underground acclaim, South London dubstep producers Benga, Skream, and Artwork collaborate for a U.K. crossover hit (and now U.S. major-label release) that mutes their genre’s trademark sub-bass while also tidying its paranoid scuzz. Katy B leads a formidable guest list of vocalists (2-step queen Ms. Dynamite, R&B leading man John Legend), and justifies her rising-star status via the seductive “Perfect Stranger.” But much of the rest recalls ’90s rave and jungle at its most shamelessly glossy.