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“Bn Loco — the new project from Tijuana,” created by talented DJ, producer and musician Uriel Esquenazi is a compilation album featuring guest appearances from numerous, eagerly name-checked musicians. This doesn’t prevent all the songs sounding distinctively similar — but then, perhaps, I’m missing the ‘sound’ of bad ass border beats.

There is no doubting Esquinazi’s talents in all fields attributed to him in the sleeve notes. This is a well-made album. Yet it is an album of music one would expect to hear on ‘Grand Designs’ or a garden makeover programme — sufficiently ‘cool’ yet unobtrusive enough so as not to disturb the viewer from the imported Swedish work surfaces. One can almost see the Channel Four executives tapping their Converse shoes along in montage-making delight.

That’s what this album is - background music. It is perfect for absent-mindedly stirring your pasta, but it doesn’t engage the listener as does DJ Shadow (an obvious influence in the creation of this ‘new genre’). You won’t be left asking ‘where did he get that drum loop from’ or ‘what the hell is making that sound’ as you are with Shadow, and if you don’t care about that kind of thing, then this CD is great.

The album rather ambitiously claims to be ‘the sound of summer 2006’ and while it may be perfect background music from the early stages of a back garden barbecue, at no point will one of your guests ask ‘hey, is that the sound of ‘bad ass border beats?” Nice sound, shame about the genre.

Link: www.myspace.com/bnloco