Paul White is a producer from South London, best known for working with artists like Danny Brown, Open Mike Eagle, Eric Biddines, and Homeboy Sandman. For his latest effort, he gives a solo album that’s like nothing he’s done before, aptly titled Rejuvenate.

If you’re familiar with White’s previous work, you know that one of the things that he’s best known for is his reworking of samples from psychedelic samples to create these lush, funky soundscapes. So if you’re expecting a solo album from him to be some kind of DJ Shadow-esque type of affair, that would be a logical conclusion to jump to – except you’d be wrong. That’s because for this album, White decided to eschew sampling all together, focusing on his abilities as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. The result is essentially an album that he would probably have sampled himself. It features a lot of lush arrangements, drawing from psychedelic rock, shoe-gaze, post-rock, jazz, and electronic music. White does bring in a few guests in the form of three very talented women, Denai Moore, Shungudzo, and Sarah Williams White (his sister), who provide vocals on two songs apiece. What’s especially interesting here is the way the album is sequenced, which makes the album feel like it’s being played in movements. After the introductory instrumental track, “A Chance,” we get the two songs with Denai Moore. After another instrumental track, “Returning,” we get the two songs with Shungudzo. From there, we get three more instrumental tracks, then close out the album with the two songs from Sarah Williams White. By sequencing the album this way, it does feel like you’re listening to these distinct sections with their own particular style, but they are still in conversation with each other. Each guest artist gets to bring in their own lyrical style and phrasing and melodic tendencies, but White was smart in collaborating with three artists whose work overlap in some really interesting ways. On top of all of this, White is still carrying the album with his own instrumental compositions, which can’t be overlooked. He’s really great at writing these arrangements that build slowly and grow on you, in a way that kind of sneaks up on you. It’s definitely an album that works best if you listen to it in one sitting, and let everything build up to the end.

Rejuvenate might be different than what a lot of people might be expecting, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, this is a really beautiful, subtle, and interesting album that doesn’t easily fit into one particular genre. It’s and album that reveals itself slowly and continues to build interest over the course of the listening experience.