> FREAKNIKS
> Under the Sun
> Scenario UK CD1
> V/A:
> LESSON ONE
> Scenario UK CD2
>
> Another new label - another name to watch. the Scenario crew falls under that
> "Nu-Beats" category, joining Pork, Ninja Tunes, Jazz Fudge, Dust2Dust, Wall
> of Sound, Ninebar, Pussyfoot, and others in the aftermath of what was once
> TripHop. good riddance to outmoded labels, because this new sound is too
> enticing and varied to be saddled with tags. Freakniks make every beat,
> whether electronic or organic, sound like a celebration of life.
> effervescent, exuberant, and bubbling over with warmth and creativity. maybe
> the Beastie Boys started this whole thing - inadvertently, between failed
> punk experiments and general rudeness - because their instrumental flava is
> stamped all over these tracks. when vocals appear, they're generally of the
> female Vadim/Tessa, Coldcut/Stansfield, Lascelles/Darby type - those sweet
> nothings which are more texture than philosophy, about as deep as rain
> puddles but cooed with all the earnest passion of a turtledove. so don't look
> to Unsung Heroes' vocal partner, Jennifer Stancliffe, for anything deeper
> than an Archie comic. but do cue up their track, "Miss Thang," if you want
> one of the best toe-tapping lite-a.jazz numbers since the Brand New Heavies
> disappeared.
> track 3 is a puzzler. credited to Vert, but not to Adam Butler - Bovinyl's
> Vert. tho' there are props in the Freakniks' liner notes for Bovinyl! and
> Vert (Laurent Reti)'s "Original Oddstep" is a Downtempo easy-roller
> with frothy breakbeats like Snooze or Spacer. so are there two different
> Verts?
>
> Search and Soniq's deeply cinematic sample-heavy grooves could be riding the
> coattails of DJ Shadow - or could be heading somewhere else. Search adds very
> laidback rapping, but only in repeated phrases. there's some Howie B - goes
> Dn'B action on "Cougar," but it's too early to tell where these two are
> going, really. The Next Men have a sweet instrumental with "Slide Up,"
> soulful and sunny. D.C.3's "Change of Plan" comes across as a lightweight
> Skint track but takes plenty of
> fun twists. finally, four Freakniks tracks - all non-LP remixes, all smooth,
> and all of which keep the smiles coming until the end - esp. for the smokin'
> jazz piano licks on Search and Marquez's breezy Dn'B mix of "Easy Alibi."
>
> just one critics biased opinions.
> by all means, decide for yourselves.
>
> BR[VII] / bloodrush7@aol.com
> GuerillaG2-G4
-- Mark Turner mturner@netcom.com