CD REVIEWS
Apr 1, 2003 12:00 PM
WEEKEND PLAYERS
Pursuit of Happiness (FFRR)
Nothing trivial here
If you have ever longed for a personal soundtrack — a complete score to accompany your moods, thoughts, expressions and interactions as you move through life — every once in a while, a perfect candidate comes along. It sounds as though Groove Armada's Andy Cato and Nottingham, England — based vocalist Rachel Foster have provided just that. With a tracklist that flows effortlessly from sultry downtempo to lush progressive house and back, Pursuit of Happiness has the diversity and energy to carry you through the many conditions that pepper your days.
Cato's exacting ear and flawless production are the perfect complement to Foster's smoldering voice, which couples the intensity of Sade with the tone of Tracey Thorn. Regardless of who you compare Foster to, one thing's for certain: She's got soul. Although the UK has been enjoying Pursuit of Happiness since summer, the U.S. release contains three bonus tracks, including Static Revenger's deep, funky take on the decidedly disco “Into the Sun.” The weekend never seemed so close.
— Erin Hutton
ASPHALT JUNGLE
Electro Ave. (ROIR)
TV composers fuse guitar with breaks
If the X Games needed a signature soundtrack, this is it. Beatmaster Chris Ingram and guitarist Brian Tarquin team up for an instrumental sound combining big beats (think Fatboy Slim) and a crunchy guitar style. The production is so adrenalin-fueled — except for a couple of makeout tracks (“Distant Heart”) — it's understandable why Asphalt Jungle was featured on MTV's Road Rules. Fast breaks, dirty electro sounds and distorted guitar add enough grit to inspire winning runs from BMXers, motocrossers and skateboarders alike.
— Jesse Terry
BREAK 'N BOSSA!
The American Chapter (Instinct)
Sophisticated lounge is in full effect
For the lovers of music from labels ESL and Compost, Break 'n Bossa is for you. Shuffling, percussive rhythms, bottom-heavy bass, Latin-tinged beats, pretty keys and jazzy brass are the all-encompassing net for these mood-enhancing sounds. The accompaniment to trendy hotel lobbies and martini bars, the majority of these numbers are comfortingly recognizable ones. Nicola Conte's hilarious “Jet Sounds,” Les Hommes' sexy “Posada Do Amor” and Dining Rooms' smooth “Existentialism (Milano Bossa Mix)” make for a wonderful lolling-about experience.
— Lily Moayeri
THE DETROIT EXPERIMENT
S/T (Ropeadope/Atlantic)
Acid funk redux, Motor City style
As an avowed fan of music gone haywire, producer Carl Craig brings an inspired touch to the mix on this group project tracked at Detroit's famous White Room studio. The concept was to unite some jazz heavies with today's young turks and turn them loose. For the most part, the experiment works. Although some cuts — especially the funkadelicized “Church” — may cry for vocals, the sheer musical prowess of Bennie Maupin, P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler and hip-hop drummer Karriem Riggins (to name just a few) really blows up the laboratory.
— Bill Murphy
DISCO D
A Night at the Booty Bar (Tommy Boy)
Sinfully decadent cyber-sleaze
After garnering critical buzz a few years back, ghetto-tech took a backseat to the glam and glitz of that other electro-channeling fad: electroclash. Now, with the glossy sheen of electroclash wearing thin, it's time for the bass-heavy, sleazy synth and dirty hip-hop stylings of Disco D and company to add some much-needed grit and grime to the proceedings. D slaps 30 tracks together to make one continuous stream of smutty sound, and it works. Get in, or get out: “Ass 'n' Titties” are back and better than ever in this reckless, daring and entertaining mix.
— Christine Hsieh
DJ DARA
Exercise.01 (Breakbeat Science)
A solid mix of strictly BBS material
After proving its longevity as America's leading drum 'n' bass label, BBS is ready to recap its success. Weaved by the able skills of DJ Dara, these fast and furious tracks from exclusively domestic talent showcase some of the best belching bass lines and bombarding beats. Both previously available and unreleased cuts, these numbers are primarily on the unruly side. Standouts are the familiar favorite G13's “Together”; the meticulous “Rush!” from Kaos, Karl K. and Siren; and the thoughtful atmospheric “Oracle” by Dune.
— Lily Moayeri
GOTAN PROJECT
La Revancha del Tango (XL)
Superbly seductive, twisted tango
It's about time that this disc hit U.S. shores — and, thankfully, it sounds just as fresh as it did when ºYa Basta! released it last year in Europe. Gotan Project's lovely rendition of tango fused with dub, brightened by broken beats and melded with jazz is an exciting update on a traditional sound. The unavoidable single “Chunga's Revenge” is included here, as is the oh-so-enticing “Triptico.” With additional U.S.-exclusive remixes by the likes of Peter Kruder and Pepe Braddock, this album is perfect for a saucy night either on the dancefloor or in the sack.
— Christine Hsieh
KEVIN SAUNDERSON
KS02 (Trust the DJ)
A mixed bag of mix selections
The second Trust the DJ shock-a-block mix from techno godfather Kevin Saunderson contains as many exceptional tracks as it does near-throwaways. The low lights speak loud and clear (who needs to hear the Soul Visionaries' “I'm In Love” twice?), but Saunderson's genius for applying slippery angst to angular, urban tracks remains undiminished. Saunderson's “Intro” is a mood-perfect example, with a warring slab of sludgy vocals and alien sonics.
Preening divas dot KS02, but the main theme is a motherlode of sounds such as the 909 groove and talking drum wooze from Range of Motion (“What U Mean to Me”); the supersonic bass rattle, tin-scraping beat and Barry White imitator from Reese Project (“This Means That”); and the warbly vocals, queasy synths and agitated percussion from Saunderson (“Taking Me”). Saunderson transforms Bakers Dozen, Oka & Yamazaki and Mark Almaria and then drops King Britt and Jeff Mills next to the banging Manu From Newcastle and the one-note-screeching UK Gold. Trust the DJ? Trust Saunderson to mix it up.
— Ken Micallef
HEXSTATIC
Listen & Learn (Ninja Tune)
Porno and Shirley Bassey
Mixed partly on CD decks, this excursion includes Boards of Canada, Grandmaster Flash, Ike & Tina Turner and Coldcut, as well as provocative snippets of Shirley Bassey and samples of groaning porno stars. Robin Hexstatic works wicked cutups, whether scratching orgasmic noises or rhythms and beats. Sections are divided into “Scratch School,” “Rock School” and “Electro Rewind,” but as tracks such as David Holmes' “Rip Rip” smoothly morph into Toots & The Maytals' “Funky Kingston,” you'll feel only the music, not the transitions and themes.
— Ken Micallef
MC LYTE IS LYTRO
Da Undaground … (SGI/CMM/iMusic)
Tried and truly Colt 45 style
It must be recognized that MC Lyte helped pave the way for female rappers. And although it's impressive that she was the first female MC to go Gold and toured Japan as a teenager, Lyte's braggadocio about it doesn't make for good rhymes. In the intro, Lyte even claims to “rock the most hos.” Meanwhile, an interlude about recording the album in four days explains the phoned-in hip-hop beats and repetitive keyboard loop production. Lyte's flow is hard and impressive, but tired verses and beats relegate these tracks to malt-liquor block parties.
— Kylee Swenson
MOUNTAIN BROTHERS
Triple Crown (Babygrande)
Scratch-happy backpack hip-hop
Triple Crown has everything that a solid hip-hop album should: great singles, solid skills and a loose but palpable intensity. Producer Chops' gap-toothed bump-beat on “Microphone Phenomenal” fires-up MCs Peril-L and Styles Infinite while giving them ample space to flow, and the call-and-response “I'm Talkin 'Bout You” is the kind of good-time beefing that hip-hop was founded on. Trouble is, the album is also filled with silly skits and run-on turntablist exercises/interludes that sometimes make it a better show of skills than quality control.
— Hobey Echlin
JOSE NUÑEZ & WHO DA FUNK
Subliminal Sessions Four (Subliminal)
Peak-time house for sweaty club vibe
A leading purveyor of the dark, tribal New York house that dominates the city's clubs, Subliminal can dish out the funky grooves. This double-disc is served up by label mainstay Jose Nuñez and up-and-comers Who da Funk. The sound is what you would expect: punchy drums and deep bass, but with surprise hints of electro most apparent on the Who da Funk “Subusa” disc — as in the catchy, squelching hooks of Serge Santiago's “Impedance.” But at the end of the day, this solid but predictable mix is for only ardent fans of bangin' New York house.
— Wingnut
P'TAAH
Staring at the Sun (Ubiquity)
New and vintage jazz love-in
While aiming for spiritual heights with the second full-length from his collective P'taah, Chris Brann dropped the house stylings of his Ananda Project for the jazz inflections of Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Complex Rhodes keyboard melodies do the trick, as on “Become Who You Are” featuring R&B singer Terrance Downs. But broken beats bring a newer flavor to the jazz of old, and the tribal percussion and cool Brazilian feel reel in some spiritual moments. A couple of tracks (“Nobody Knows”) sting a bit, but mostly, this album has a warm glow.
— Kylee Swenson
SPACEK
Vintage Hi-Tech (K7!)
Future soul for chilled thrills
Trumpeted by Mos Def and dung-appliqué painter Chris Ofili, Spacek is a purveyor of cool R&B with futuristic soul sounds. Nocturnally hypnotic, Spacek's ethereal soul is formed from harmonically rich synths, Rhodes pianos and cooing vocals that recall '40s crooners the Mills Brothers. The compositions are not especially revelatory, but the mood is, with an eerie collection of gentle tracks that induce cerebral pleasure. Even when mixing frightened baby cries with frigid beats and ghostly vocals, Spacek's slick sprawl warms the brain, if not the booty.
— Ken Micallef
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