Excellent reviews Aaron (is a nu jazz/broken beat music newsletter far
off?). We might have to put you on retainer to write some descriptions for
the website.
Some general comments--if any one wants the Hajime 12" I suggest you buy it
as soon as you see it. We are currently sold out and probably won't get
anymore. The last Especiale release is now next to impossible to get so
don't snooze on this one. The Good Good compilation is reportedly different
from the version coming out on Planet E in Jan. The BITASWEET compilation on
CD is delayed due to some problems with manufacture. Expect to see CD copies
in 2-3 weeks. And for fans of Audiomontage be sure to check the new Uriel
album due in next week-it's excellent.
And on a COMPLETELY un-related note our webmaster is moving to Sweden so we
are currently looking for someone based in Chicago interested in taking over
his duties as full-time webmaster/graphics designer/asst. promotions
manager. Email me privately for more info.
Dirk van den Heuvel
President/GM, Groove Distribution
"Your Guide To The Underground"
http://www.groovedis.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Shinn [mailto:ashinn@d6ga.com]
Sent: Friday, December 01, 2000 3:37 PM
To: acid-jazz@ucsd.edu
Subject: finally got some reviews together! [long]
Okay :) A day late, but I'm alright with that - a lot of material to
digest mind you...
Family Planning V.1 (Mainsqueeze Recs)
First off, I have been clamoring for a month to get a copy of this. I
heard a promo the same week as the Move On Up promo came out and it
stole my heart right away. Mr IG Culture seems to have had his
fingers in almost every track, and most are exclusives. Lets see...
The comp opens with the well-hyped cut from Numbers, called Moon
Blood. It's a tornado - pretty much too fast to mix with any broken
beat stuff, but hell, it's hot on the dance floor. I am not sure if
this track appeared on MSQ002 or not.
The cover of It's Just Begun (an old b-boy jam from the Jimmy Castor
Bunch) from Un-Organization is very nicely done, it feels to me like
a super-tightened version of the original, it's not terribly
modified. Still a dope track. Both the Kaidi Tatham and Eska's World
tracks are good artist spotlights produced by IG. They are both lower
tempo pieces and I am not totally convinced that they have much to
offer, but I need to listen more. The real goodies are on the second
LP. Son of Scientist (IG again) brings Fusion Perfect, which is just
lovely - rolling along with some of the same triplet hat programming
that made Timeless Motion from Neon Phusion memorable. The synth
sounds are ripe, I think it's a keeper. Then we go to 1969 LSD
Madness from Da One Away. This track has a very jam-oriented feel, is
loosely produced, and I think when given time is fantastic. Dego and
IG handled production ("Dego Ranks"?!?). Think big, messy drums - a
nice contrast from IG's generally tightly programmed style. Somewhere
some old Weather Report got mixed in with the Chick Corea and that's
where we end up. Watch for the Pierre Henry Psycherock sample :) I am
feeling the vox chorus at the end of the cut, it wraps things up
nicely. I love it. Heavy.
I suppose that the Fourth World cut has been out before, as it's
licensed from Melt2000, but I certainly never saw it. IG
covering/remixing Fica Mal Com Deus, it's a stormer. Frantic fast
paced bizness here with excellent vocals. For fans of bloody quick,
punchy bossa. Give A Little Love from Mustang, Amazing from Bembe
Segue have appeared before on Mainsqueeze singles. Both excellent
cuts. Anyway, buy this comp - it's a nice step forward in the whole
broken beat west london nu-jazz ting.
Bugge Wesseltoft's New Conception of Jazz: Live (Jazzland)
Coming with two spread-out 10+ minute jams recorded on tour, this is
sure to put you right on the couch. Light the damn incense and turn
the lights off :) Amiens, greets you with a nice Rhodes intro and
kicks into a low tempo 808 beat with live bass and keys. I was very
surprised to come away with a feeling very similar to a Rhythm and
Sound or Mainstreet record, but more on the jazz groove tip, rather
than the swirling dub of those Basic Channel cats. Very nice. Dirk @
Groovedis described the keys as having a Mark De Clive-Lowe feel to
them. The flipside, Cologne, is more on the epic scale. Grand synth
pads open the cut as the slightly broken beat creeps up on you. Less
nightclub, more space. This cat really loves stereo delay in his live
shows, very groovy.
Jazzanova: The Remixes 1997-2000 (Jazzanova Compost Records)
If your mission in buying music is to be entertained by sheer
fireworks, this record is for you. Jazzanova has a way of cramming so
much musical content into their remixes that you can't help but
appreciate what they're up to. Tight, crisp production, innovative
programming, some damn good players, everything is top-calibre about
this release. The selections are diverse enough to keep things
entertaining and the album is programmed well. The downtempo cuts are
interspersed at regular intervals and are quite refreshing. Essential
for everyone who digs the Jazzanova sound.
Hajime Yoshizawa: Secret Flight (Espacial)
This cat is responsible for one of my fave downtempo singles recently
- Inside Of You from SR Smoothy (Disorient). I understand that he is
connected with Cosmic Village and Kyoto Jazz Massive to some extent,
and he fails to disappoint with this release. The original version of
the track has a Brazilian-flavored vocal chorus over a low tempo that
builds in tempo before it eventually crescendos in a keys solo. The
West Tokyo mix drops the speed changes and fills the cut out with
more melody and less vocal. Light, skittery drum programming
throughout. Nice one. On the flip is my pick, Pavel Kostiuk's
2000Black Version, courtesy of the man Dego Ranks (ha!). The vibe is
much in the vein of Brand New Day, from Dego and Vanessa Freeman on
2000Black a few months back, but I really prefer this track. Nice
overall momentum in the track, builds slowly before Dego's trademark
dramatic chord changes. Yoshizawa's playing sounds fantastic with
Dego's beat and bass. The cut is restrained and lovely. Also includes
a dub version of Dego's mix.
Forum: Blowing Notes (Aspekte/Sonar Kollektiv/Groove Attack)
A VERY Jazzanova sounding 12" from Forum. Produced by Roskow
Kretschmann and Matthias Hellwig-Brockmann, Roskow is credited with
production on several Jazzanova remixes, so there's the connection.
The drum work on this release is bloody wicked, but the title cut,
melodically and vocally leaves me cold. A bit too melancholic for my
taste, but I might warm up to it later. I much prefer the b2 cut,
Ritmo Rapido. Heavily percussion-oriented, this track manages to be
virtually all beat and be worth listening (and dancing!) to. It looks
like it's going to be a tremendously functional record in my sets..
perfectly mixable. Actually I have been playing it with Goza from
Afro Force (more on that later) and it simply kicks ass. There is a
2-step mix on the flip but I am not really qualified to comment on it.
2000 Black presents The GoodGood (2000black)
This release is freaking unstoppable. Aside from a few stragglers,
there's enough quality, diverse content to keep us all happy. The LP
opens with a new one from the wicked wicked Domu - Groovesome. I have
been told that his LP forthcoming from Archive (spring 01?) is along
the same lines, and I wouldn't miss it for anything. The second track
is a long-overdue homage to the label's namesake, 2000 Black by Roy
Ayers, from the A Tear to a Smile LP. Roy actually appears on vocals
and it feels so damn right. Low tempo, smooth, fantastic. Catalyst
(mr. attias/mustang) comes with a new one called Sunnin, which I have
yet to listen to very thoroughly. It seems to be right on par with
his recent appearances on CO-OP and others so I'm sure it's
fantastic. Next up is another cut from Dego with Roy Ayers on scat
and vibes, Pirates of Penzance (!). Aggressive broken beats that
could wear you out - a big nod to old-skool 4hero bizness here. Roy
is lively as hell, it harks back to a recent show I saw him in - he's
still haveing a hell of a good time. Next up is Nu-Way by Kuni. This
is the great mystery track of the LP for me because I have absolutely
no idea who produced it - perhaps a new artist to the roster? The
cut, credited only to Kuniluki, has a quick tempo and builds slowly,
with a hook that drops in only every eight bars. The drum programming
gets nicely thick towards the end but never breaks the hypnotic
pacing of the tune. I am eager to find out who did this and where I
can get more (dope!). The Nubian Mindz cut following it is
hysterically silly by comparison, but Colin Lindo can generally do no
wrong, and this UR-flavored techno piece will keep me scratching my
head. Actually, now that I think about it, it reminds me strongly of
Titonton (who did 2002black). I like it, but I wonder if it fits in
contextually with the rest of the album. Next is the IMPOSSIBLY
WICKED cover of the great Coltrane's Naima from 4Hero. You cannot go
on living without hearing this cut. Worth buying the comp for,
without a doubt - heavy heavy heavy. The whole cast of players from
2pages appears here, including Chris Bowden. Freaking beautiful - I
remember the first time I heard the track, there was some question of
the legality of it's release, and that it would be too expensive to
authorize, but praise the gods, here it is. Don't hesitate. There's
another cut from Somatik called Diamondstone, but I am so distracted
by Naima that I really can't say anything about it at the moment...
Bitasweet presents: Phuturistic Dancin' (Bitasweet)
Here's the tracklist:
01. Blacktonez / Pleasure Ride
02. B.B. Boogie / Universal Music
03. New Sector Movements / My History (Raw Rub)
04. Afro Force / Goza (Dub Mix)
05. Dub Basement / Thrill Seeker
06. G Force + Seiji / Naturally feat. Melissa Browne
07. Da One Away / The Mind (The Mind Rub)
08. 12 Bit Rephugees / Locust
As you can see, at least four of the tracks have been released before
(not sure about the G-Force and Seiji tune, sweet drum n bass), which
explains why this is supposed to be an export-only (non-UK) release.
That aside, the couple of new tracks on the album are quite good - in
addition to the previously released tracks which are all damn good as
well. I am particuarly with the Afro Force cut produced by G-Force,
Kaidi Tathmam and Orrin Walters - It's a dirty, groove-oriented
affair with a thick moog bassline and a bit of afro scat and rhodes
flourishes. It's rough and ready - I like I like. The 12 Bit
Rephugees are Phil Asher and Mark De Clive-Lowe, this one sounds as
though it could have been recorded during the sessions for the Woolph
12" (on Classic) from last month, but didn't fit with the other
tunes. Quite nice, a bit ominous, a LOT of glide on the bassline :) I
can't imagine playing it out, but it's fun on the stereo, slow and
low. Jazzy drum n bass fans will be down with the new G-Force + Seiji
track here, featuring Melissa Browne on vocals (and doing a lovely
job). The track opens with a heavy half-time emphasis and picks up
quick. Vocals are tight - solid tune. The other newie on here is the
Dub Basement cut, produced by the mighty IG Culture. Mark De
Clive-Lowe pops up again on keys. This is another smokey groover,
with (uncredited, but most likely) Bembe doing vocal flourishes on
top. Seems to be inspired by the dark vibes of fusion-era Miles.
Fresh.
Todd G presents Stephanie Quick: It's the Music (SoleMusic)
Now, I generally like solemusic, and I REALLY like Homecookin
(Seiji's perhaps satirical house project) but the vocals are so damn
garage-positive that I am kind of sickened by this record. Sorry! I
just can't handle such candy :) I'm not a hard-harted sonofabitch,
and this is still over the top. I do like the gross pink cover, but
dammit, if anybody catches me playing this record, even as a joke,
slap me :) The flip has the Milton Jackson Drugs Dub, which is a mess
of huge kicks and vocals fed through an infinite feedback loop. Cool
in a way, but not for me - too jackin' house stylee for my sets. Oh
yeah, did I mention there are no less than three (!?!> accapellas?
Dusty review: reissue
Eugene McDaniels: Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse
Not every cut on this (formerly) rare rare rare record is gold, but
the good ones are stand-out pieces of psychedelic soul that stand
alone in some respects. At the albums best, the use of orchestration
is highly unconventional in spots, the vocals are righteous and
heavy, and the rhodes tones resonate just right. Tracks like Jagger
the Dagger, Lovin' Man, and Headless Heroes feel like the end of the
damn world, and that's all I can ask for. Alphonse Mouzon on drums,
and Mirosalv Vitous on bass - I'm surprised Joe Zawinul doesn't make
a guest appearance! I have simply got to go find McDaniels earlier
solo joint, Outlaw. To any hip hop heads out there, you will feel
right at home with this LP simply because of how heavily sampled it
is.
And the final review for the day:
Audio Montage: Snert (Freerange Recs)
Not in my usual style, but I needed it. To me, this goes hand in hand
with the recent Hot Toddy album, Super Magic - But it pushes the
early 80's prog-synth motif even harder. The amazing thing about this
LP is that it is corny beyond belief, but conducts itself so
effortlessly and solidly that you barely notice. End to end fun.
Especially be sure to check the title cut, excellent 80s garage
business. Nice cover design by Subtle Ruckus (who does all the cover
art for People + Mainsqueeze of late).
To Summarize:
---------------
Buy The Goodgood without second thoughts.
Buy the Jazzanova remix for yourself and give copies to friends for
Christmas.
Buy Family Planning for more IG Culture than you can handle.
Buy Phuturistic Dancin' if you don't already have all the cuts, or
are a relentless collector. ;>
Remember folks, these compilations are, in some respects, the
foundation of this scene at the moment. They really are worth having
as a record of what these cats are doing before they eventually shoot
off into solo careers, or into obscurity...
Also, I buy virtually all of my records from Groovedis.com, just so ya know.
Before I forget, I will be playing the cream of these selections and
other goodies from my crates on my radio show, which is broadcast
weekly on Monday nights here in Chicago. There is no archive of past
shows, but you can listen to the simulcast on real audio at:
http://www.wnur.org/live.ram
11:00-12:30pm, central standard time, 89.3FM wnur. Email me if you
want playlists! I am starting to mail them out weekly so if you would
like to get on the list let me know.
Cheers,
.aaron shinn
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Dec 01 2000 - 23:29:07 CET