From: Jon Freer (jon-freer_at_excite.com)
Date: 2005-08-18 10:54:43
Jon Freer’s Reviews – August 17th 2005.
Singles selection:
Stéphane Vera – Eve (Left Of The Dial)
Jersey Street – Blessed Is The Man (Electric Chair/PIAS)
The UB’s – Disco Symphony (Electric Souls)
A Guy Called Gerald – Flo-Ride (Sugoi)
Hack Tao – Love Soup EP (Musiques Hybrides)
Kajae feat. Valentine – Nothing’s Changed (Do Right Music)
Lushlife – No Foundation (Scenario)
V/A – Trailer Happiness Pres. Velvet Voodoo EP (Whatmusic)
V/A – Soma Dubs Vol 4 (Soma)
The New Shapes – You’ve Got Me Running Around (Pop Records)
Thanks to John at Do Right Music, Isabel at PIAS, Moggsy at Electriks, Gerald and Megan at Sugoi, Ben at BKS, Lucius at Outpost Media, Nik Weston, Jim at Soma and Peggy at Fistral for these…
Stéphane Vera – Eve (Left Of The Dial)
Cat No: LD 002. Available Now.
Vera drops a couple of Broken House tracks for Canada’s Left Of The Dial imprint, which should be lapped up by both open minded House junkies, and those who like a little more irregularity to their time signatures. The title track sees levitating keys rise over analogue bass parps and singing chords, but the real winner is actually on the flip. The B Side, “All This Time” is an outstanding hip-mover, with disjointed beats, confused keys, dangerous synths and realisation reaching vocals.
Jersey Street – Blessed Is The Man (Electric Chair/PIAS)
Cat No: CHAIR007T. Available Now.
The talented live House troupe return on the Electriks longplayer inclined label, and for once, the 12” is not affiliated to any compilation release. The original ambles along happily enough, where steady percussion and resilient brass join keys that will brighten your day. Small Arms Fiya upstage them with a magnificently brutal revision, which takes strength from rugged beats and a grimed up forghorn type bass. Bonus cut from Jersey Street is a demonstratively vocalized outing, whilst Small Arms Fiya’s instrumental rub thumps out the beats under vulnerable chords and a bass that’s impossible to penetrate.
The UB’s – Disco Symphony (Electric Souls)
Cat No: ES 12. Promo.
That party-exploding twosome has taken a break from spinning all over in order to spend time in the studio cooking up this helping of glittering re-edits. “Disco Symphony” is all burnt brass and charming strings, whereas “I Need Love” survives on a plea and propulsion from a decidedly live bassline. “Bee Sting” sees formal keys and well-behaved strings attempt to keep wayward synths in-line, as downhop percussion, an agile bass and pandering strings link up on the sublime “Got You”.
A Guy Called Gerald – Flo-Ride (Sugoi)
Cat No: SUGOI-01-12. Release Date: September 5th 2005.
Promising a host of new material and the re-release of choice back catalogue material, innovator Gerald Simpson returns begins his new venture with this exhilarating three-tracker. “Flo-Ride” watches a blaring bass hurtle into the future alongside frantic keys, screaming strings and coarse beats, on a track that is the product of years spent producing various forms of futuristic music. The B Side contains a couple of more straightforward Technoid efforts. “Under The Way” sees layered beats, electric keys and a weighty bass give guidance, whilst the wonderfully good-natured “Visitor” moves courtesy of pumped up beats, synth calm and dazzling keys.
Hack Tao – Love Soup EP (Musiques Hybrides)
Release Date: September 4th 2005.
One should expect a crazy musical expedition when Olaf Hund is involved, and this outing from his Hack Tao four piece is rather odd. Nonsensical rapping from Maxx blights both tracks on this EP, but the instrumentals show the Hack Tao’s true worth. “The Ballad Of Hack Tao” is a battle between blue grass pilfered guitars and a ravaging bassline, where retro harmonica dalliances and squeezing keys referee. “Dover Dead” is a less colourful piece, with hammering chords, a grumpy bassline and closely guarded beats.
Kajae feat. Valentine – Nothing’s Changed (Do Right Music)
Cat No: DR 012. Promo.
Kevin ‘Kajae’ Johnson steps away from Nick Holder’s brilliant yet elusive DNH imprint, in order to record this pretty guitarred number for a label that can do no wrong. Nick Holder’s Remix does the business, as frustrated vocals and an affecting acoustic guitar line the grooves created by a stretched bass and business-like beats. A glassy bass and marching beats kind of spoil the fragility on Kajae’s ‘Electro Mix’, but his touching original is also included, where Valentine analyse the twists and turns of a relationship, over pointed guitars and a squirming bass.
Lushlife – No Foundation (Scenario)
Cat No: SC 042. Release Date: August 29th 2005.
Classically trained Jazz whiz and street corner rapper Lushlife’s output is a product of those two contrasting musical schools, which do share some similarities. Here it has taken a remix from Yam Who to extract the best from “No Foundation”, with their day brightening guitars, watered synths and empowering keys doing wonders for Lush’s hypothesizing vocals.
V/A – Trailer Happiness Pres. Velvet Voodoo EP (Whatmusic)
Cat No: WM 12-0100. Release Date: August 22nd 2005.
Originally a limited edition give-away to Jazz fans at upmarket nitespots, the enthusiastic response to the Whatmusic vault trawling “Velvet Voodoo” has led to a full album release and an outing for this sampler. Open Sky Unit’s “Sunshine Star” dazzles courtesy of breezy percussion, smiling vocals and a warmness-inducing sax. Emilio Santiago gives us “Brother”, a praising ode with high reaching brass, helping guitars and sweet-toothed keys. Eero Koivistoinen’s “7 Up” is probably not a tribute to a gaseous lemon flavoured drink, but its uncontrollable brass, swished percussion and impression making guitars will cure a thirst for excitable jazzed-up music. The Jacques Pelzer Quartet give us a gorgeous rendition of “Naima”, where a stunning sax and sweetened keys are backed by percussion that sticks rigidly to the job in hand.
V/A – Soma Dubs Vol 4 (Soma)
Cat No: SOMA 176. Available Now.
The tracks may have had their vocals removed, but this remix EP still packs a weighty punch. The Death in Vegas Dub of Slam’s “Bright Lights Fading” is a politely keyed mission, whilst Claro Intellecto’s Dub of “Futures In Plastic” by the Vector Lovers watches keys belonging to another dimension ride hammered beats and an athletic bassline. Various drummed portions, curious keys and a lumpy synth do the work on Henrik Schwarz’s Dub of Alex Smoke’s “Don’t See The Point”, as explosive beats and a scowling bass hook up on Smoke’s own dub.
The New Shapes – You’ve Got Me Running Around (Pop Records)
Cat No: POPCDS001. Available Now.
The New Shapes make short, sharp and clean-shaven nu-punk numbers. “You’ve Got Me Running Around” sees emotionally exhausted vocals sit upon brash guitars and straight drums. “A Song About A Girl” captures the excitement of meeting someone new and the feelings they can evoke, under the watchful ear of polite drums and jagged guitars.
Jon Freer(jon.freer_at_gmail.com)
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