Published by James March 22nd, 2007
in Album, Review and 2007.
After my long absence, one punctuated by miserable colds among the whole clan including my daughter, I find myself buried under new releases–some fifteen or so to date. So what better way to get started than diving into the latest release from one of my favorite groups.
I’ve been enamored with Up, Bustle & Out since the first time a clerk over at Other Music in NYC slipped their sublime Rebel Radio: Master Sessions, Vol. 1 across the counter for me to try. The blend of Breakbeat and Cuban music was and still is intoxicating and the respect that they approached the traditional forms was refreshing. Mexican Sessions Our Simple Sensational Sound sees them head to Monterrey, Mexico to whip up another cross-culture creation this time blending together Dancehall, Dub, Rap, and Cumbia into a languid but heated mix which is the perfect herald for warmer days.
The album lopes along in no particular rush, providing a backdrop that is slightly exotic and often trance inducing. “Mundo Insolito” is one such track with its Cumbia shuffle that makes your body just ache to slide about dancing like you’ve had five or six mojitos too many. Seamlessly that track staggers into “Cumbion Mountain” which will have you waving your arms in the air like an uncaring fool and will have you spinning around all the way to the sublime Flamenco breakdown, “Guitar Ahoy” at the album’s close.
You can get a little taste by sampling the album over at their website but really you should just go out and buy it. Mexican Sessions Our Simple Sensational Sound is just that good and makes it on to the skeletal beginnings of my Best of 2007 list. Very highly recommended.
Published by James July 26th, 2006
in Album.
I was all fired up to write up my thoughts on the new Colette and DJ Heather collaboration House of Om when a summer cold struck me soundly between the eyes (and nose). with my sniffling, sneezing, and general woolly-headedness I can barely string two sentences together (actually that’s no different than any other day). So shifting gears I thought I would profess my love for the art of continuous mixes.
Most DJ albums are intended to be played back in a continuous manner so as to best approximate a live set feel; CDs are mastered with cross fades and individual tracks often feel out of place when not nestled in and among the surrounding tracks. When these albums are presented in MP3 format something is lost; the three second gap breaks the cross fade and introduces a feeling that each track should be discrete when it really isn’t. Thankfully, some labels have been releasing some albums as one giant MP3 to preserve the feel of the mix.
Renaissance has been the best label to find these types of tracks as many of their DJ albums will find two releases on eMusic, a tracks based one and later a continuous mix. Below are some of my favorites that they have released.
James Zabiela - ALiVE
John Digweed - Transitions
Renaissance The Masters Series: Hernán Cattáneo Vol. 1
Renaissance The Masters Series: Hernán Cattáneo Vol. 2
Renaissance Presents Nic Fanciulli
Renaissance - The Masters Series Part 7: Dave Seaman
For a whopping eleven tracks you can drown yourself in over thirteen hours of music. Not only a serious bargain but a blissful way to spend the better part of the day.
Published by James July 14th, 2006
in Album, Review and 2006.
DJ Cheb I Sabbah’s La Kahena, which dropped last year, was a wildly intoxicating blend of traditional North African rhythms and modern production techniques. On La Ghriba: La Kahena Remixed Sabbah revisits the same sonic territory but with an increased focus on breaking those tracks down further and folding them into beats anchored in Dub and House through the work of artists such as Bill Laswell, Fnaïre, Yossi Fine, The Chakadoons, Temple of Sound, and Bassnectar.
Stand tracks include Laswell’s work on “Esh ‘Dani, Alash Mshit: The Constantine Remix” which brings the track into an expansive sound that is at once dark and exotic but still inviting; the vocal samples peppering the song are reminiscent of Juno Reactor’s more ethno-flavored work on Bible of Dreams. Makyo’s re-envisioning of “Madh Assalhin (The Zen Breaks)” stretches the track out to a drifting trance infused Dub that is deeply hypnotic while DJ Sandeep Kumar opens the album with a fiery remix of “Toura Toura” that adds a touch of swing and sway to the underlying beats.
La Griba makes a great addition to La Kahena, ostensibly it could be packaged as a second disc if it sees a re-release down the road. Highly recommended and La Griba certainly has a place on my “Best of” list for this year as it maintains the artistry and integrity that made La Kahena such an incredible listening experience.
Published by Scott June 26th, 2006
in Meta-Chatter and Review.
I caught the tail end of Athfest’s free outdoor shows yesterday. Had a really good time hanging out and taking in the scene but was kind of disappointed by the two bands I saw. Dubconscious, as their name implies, play delay heavy, dubbed out rock. They sounded okay but my friend and I lost interest after a while and wandered off to score some burritos. My feeling toward that style of music is ambivalent at best. We missed the mini twenty minute set by The Dexateens but made it back for Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s first song. I love the balance of Southern fried hard/roots rock on their first four albums (haven’t heard the rest) and was pretty excited to see them. Unfortunately, they were only okay. Kevn Kinney has a great voice but it was lost in the mix for this performance. Their albums have some pretty heavy guitar crunch but that edge was shorn off in favor of extended jams and a more classic rock feel. I’m sorry but watching some dude go off on a Hammond XB-2 for multiple solos is about as exciting as watching someone type. Oh well, it was still fun getting out for the evening and the price was right.
