Power FX
Jun 1, 2001 12:00 PM, James Rotondi
Was it so long ago that loop CDs contained just, well, loops? The current market trend is moving toward what I call deconstruction kits — collections of fully arranged song fragments followed by samples of their component parts. Like several newer titles, The Electro Jazz Retro Funk Thing (audio CD, $99.95) is a stylistic statement all its own, resembling a record that was halfway to completion and is now being sold for parts. Why the long name? Considering its ingredients — synth, clav, Wurlitzer and Rhodes electric piano stabs, stand-up bass lines, effects hits, and funk-drum loops — it does cover all the bases. Like an '80s spin on Herbie Hancock or the Brand New Heavies, Funk Thing finds common ground between analog flavor and vintage vibe, giving you the materials to play in the no-man's-land in between.
The disc's first 15 tracks begin with an arranged eight-bar loop that consists of drums, percussion, keyboards, synths, and pianos, all soloing individually following the main loop so that you can choose which elements of the complete track you want to use. The liner notes give you the tonality (Em11, Cm, and so forth), and the rest is up to you. The tempos of the deconstruction kits range from 60 to 115 bpm, so the vibe is often a brisk midtempo with nothing dubby or hyperactive. Tracks 16 through 28 feature dry drum loops (a total of 153 different grooves) varying in tempo from 80 to 125 bpm and ranging in style from TR-808 — style subkicks to gated '80s drum sets to crisp vintage Verve kits, with some very hip processing in places. Track 29 collects 12 stand-up bass lines recorded with nice room ambience, and the tracks that follow group analog synth, synth string, and clavinet figures.
But the CD's strength is the huge amount of Wurlitzer and Rhodes piano loops it offers. If you don't play these instruments, this is your chance to add one of the great textures from soul, funk, ambient, and '70s rock to your work. Laid out logically in both riffs and simple, sustained chord voicings, the disc offers extended chords as well as simple sevenths, and the recording is up-front and dry as a bone (except in the FX Riffs section). The producers — Joel Eriksson and Jonas “Gonky” Quant — have also broken down many of Funk Thing's better drum sounds into individual kick, snare, hi-hat, and cymbal hits for those who prefer programming to looping, so you get flexibility and funk. Now that's keeping it real.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 4
Power FX, dist. by East West;
tel. (800) 969-9449 or (212) 541-7064;
e-mail sales@eastwestsounds.com;
Web www.soundsonline.com
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