Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES

Prog OCTOBER 2023 - by Chris Roberts

BRIAN ENO: TOP BOY (SCORE FROM THE ORIGINAL SERIES)

Ambient king's unlikely alliance thrives.

Top Boy, currently embarking on its swansong season, is a gripping TV series following the travails of London drug dealers amid a backdrop of contemporary hip-hop and grime. While the writing and acting ensure there's a lot more to it than that (it's suspenseful and soulful), the first guy in line to score it between the bits where, say, Central Cee, Ghetts or Little Simz are testifying about life on the streets wouldn't necessarily be the esteemed, professorial Brian Eno. Yes, he's provided soundtracks to films about lunar landings, Russian museums and more, but could his work gel with a pressurised drama where words like "wasteman", "patterned" and "allow it" boil in a very different temperature to that exhibited on Before And After Science or Music For Airports?

Yes, as it turns out. Eno's themes and motifs operate between the pulses and throbs, and wisely make no attempt to compete. His brooding contributions are an important factor in the undercurrent of dread which shades even the most building-block scenes. This cherry-picked selection from five seasons is almost entirely available for the first time, and its atmospheres ace it.