‘This Was Supposed To Be The Future’ is the Nextmen’s third studio album and is probably their most ambitious sounding album, and is also the best material to date. A number of factors contributed to this, including getting access to the whole Trojan back catalogue, as well as a concerted effort to do some actual song writing, on top of sampling themselves rather relying on other people’s music.

Blood Fire, Concentrate, Let It Be and Piece of the Pie all show the reggae roots of the Nextmen. Blood Fire is more typical of the Nextmen sound we all know and love – a cut up party tune, but Let It Be is such a superbly put together tune it’s impossible to know if the track is made from samples or from a live band. Part of this is of course the production skills of the Nextmen, combined with unfettered access to the Trojan back catalogue through their record label, and a new found appreciation for song writing.

In a recent interview, Dom Betmead of the Nextmen said “I’ve been songwriting with other artists and even for the Nextmen but I was never confident enough to put it forward, and all of a sudden that changed.” From working with Brigette Amofah and Zarif, both who appear on the album, the Nextmen composed actual songs rather than simply laid down and cut up beats, so the album feels more complete. This is especially apparent in the tunes with Fat Freddy’s Drop lead singer Dallas, The Drop and Did No Wrong.

Rather than be confined to the original notes and keys of samples, the Nextmen also composed and arranged the tunes around their own playing on guitar and keyboards, effectively sampling themselves. This gives tunes like Memory Lane and the title track a coherence and authenticity that isn’t normally found in sampled music.

Speaking of Memory Lane, the disco feel of this track shows the musical scope of the album. Songs like Tuffen Up and Camera Tracks show a soul edge of the Nextmen, whilst Knowledge Be Born and Move have a decidedly UK hiphop feel. Rounded out with the reggae tunes mentioned earlier, and you’ve got a varied yet coherent album that, although is quite different to earlier Nextmen albums, still has that great Nextmen vibe.