It takes a cool and confident artist to, not only do a cover of a track by cult LA band The Residents, but also name himself after the same song.
Hello Skinny could also be taken as a play on his name, Tom Skinner.
Skinner is an in-demand drummer who has worked with a number of artists, notably the Matthew Herbert Band.
His debut solo album has strong echoes of Four Tet and Kieren Hebden's collaboration with Steve Reid. This is particularly evident on a track like Knot Blue which starts with a simple acoustic intro before morphing into a pulsing hypnotic beat.
Throughout the nine tracks, elements of jazz, dub, funk and electronica blend to create a very smooth groove indeed.
The contribution of Shabaka Hutchings on clarinet adds a playful edge to Crush and his baritone saxophone solo makes for an effective coda to the title track.
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His sax playing on Bump also adds to the PIL style dubby loop that justifies the label's identification of Skinner as inhabiting a "warped electronic landscape".
I like the organic feel and careful sequencing of the record, from the rain drop effects on the opening track (Aquarius) to the quieter ambience of the three closing tunes. The first of these, Venus, also features Byron Wallen on trumpet, flugelhorn and baritone horn.
Skinner is currently involved with a number of other projects but I hope he also finds time to record a follow up to this classy album.
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