Konono Nº1 kicked off the Congotronics series from Brussels-based Crammed Discs, and Congotronics 2 offers up more mighty Congolese prog-electro boogie. Crammed‘s Vincent Kenis recorded and produced the eight indigenous bands featured between the disc and DVD, including Konono Nº1 (who have been around since the ‘70s). Electric likembes (thumb pianos), giant megaphones, and car parts are further boosted by distorted drums and over-amped guitars, all feeding from traditional African trance roots. And you can dance to it! Krautrockers and guitar god aficionados alike will be blown away by the vibes rebounding from Kinshasa.
Electric President Electric President
Combining crackling, textured laptop sounds with stripped-down indie rock, Ben Cooper and Alex Kane have a formula that, on paper, is destined to work. Translated to sound, however, the results are mixed. Though the electronic aspects are up to snuff, they can only conceal Cooper‘s amateurish songwriting for so long. From the Modest Mouse-like chorus of “Good Morning, Hypocrite” to the redundant lyrics of “Grand Machine No. 12,” Electric President is reduced to a good idea wallowing in mediocrity.
Various Artists C/O Pop Festival Compilation 2005
In August of 2005, the second installment of the C/O Pop Festival involved over 140 bands and solo artists, who gathered to celebrate electronic music and its impact on pop culture. For those of us too broke to attend, this 23-track double-disc compilation is a tasty glimpse at the variety of talents involved. Including harder-to-find tracks like Telefon Tel Aviv‘s remix of Apparat‘s “Komponent,” alongside stunning numbers from the likes of Alex Smoke, Ferenc, The MFA, and Ricardo Villalobos, the compilation is a perfect testament to what was surely an amazing festival.
The Nostalgia 77 Octet Seven‘s & Eight‘s
Recorded live at London‘s legendary venue The Jazz Cafe, Seven‘s & Eight‘s‘s, a near full-on jazz effort-exquisitely captures the essence of a young band in bloom, led by N77 himself, Ben Lumdin. Throughout, beautiful melodic textures embody a time gone by, yet nod confidently toward the future. Should you need a little fix of electronics, the elegant 18-minute epic “The Hope Suite” is included, previously available only on vinyl. All in all, this is quite a package from quite a talented outfit.
Jafrosax New Standard of the Future
Gav Smith‘s Pantone label continues to showcase some of Japan‘s future jazz talent with the debut from sax man Kaz Kazuta. Produced by fellow Japanese residents (and labelmates) Yukihiro Fukutomi and Jazztronik, the album starts off strong with the appealing, Latin-tinged “In The Morning,” crooned smoothly by Vikter Duplaix. From there, the styles volley between broken beat, ambient, and jazzy; Gonky‘s Miss Yukimi features on a couple of tracks, as does Japan‘s Studio Apartment and Faze Action. Doubtful that it‘ll be mistaken for forging a “new standard,” but it‘s still a cut above.
Trio Mocoto Beleza! Beleza!! Beleza!!!
Brazil‘s Trio Mocoto has been rockin‘ steady since way back in the 1960s. Influenced heavily by American soul and rock-while always blending their native touches into the mix-the formative genres all come to light on Beleza! Beleza!! Beleza!!!. The production is a bit too slick, but the musicians are tight and the energy spirited. Even when things get to be a bit too poppy, the disc is too lively to cast aside; it never takes itself too seriously, acting as a worldly diversion from what ails thee.
Richie Spice and Jah Cure Toe 2 Toe Vol. IX
If you‘ve been waiting for the next Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown, look no further than Richie Spice and Jah Cure. Both have earned reputations as being among Jamaica‘s most inspirational artists, and these spearheads of current reggae offer ‘nuff livity on their Toe 2 Toe album. This UK release offers several tracks unavailable on their US LPs to date, and all of them are winners. Each singer has crafted a distinct style; Spice‘s trademark na na nas and falsetto trills, and Cure‘s chant-like utterances mesh well together, resulting in a smooth-flowing album that delivers contemporary roots with no roadblocks. Even though the two never team up in combination, this blazing set is indeed big all around.
Darondo Let My People Go
This reissue-and-then-some offers songs heretofore only known to crate diggers lucky enough to own all three highly prized Darondo 45s. It also includes three additional tunes-originally recorded in the SF soul man‘s late ‘60s heyday-fleshed out by the singer and Bing Ji Ling. The results are positively stunning, from the quasi-political title track to the tender post-coital ballad “Didn‘t I” (astutely picked by Gilles Peterson for his Digs America comp). Darondo proves reminiscent of an early Sly Stone-not to mention a precursor of Babyface and Rafael Saadiq-yet with a unique, hella funky flavor all his own.
Daniel Agust Swallowed A Star
On the sleeve of his debut solo album, Daniel Agust wears sackcloth hemmed roughly with coarse string. It‘s presumably a significant statement of aesthetics from the former GusGus frontman, as he distances himself from cherished dancefloor soundtracks and toys with the kind of imagery evoked by epic Icelandic novels like Halldór Laxness‘ Independent People. Backing Agust‘s voice with strings ‘n‘ FX, Swallowed A Star is often lovely, if not quite as gratifying as releases by the singer‘s past collective.
I (a.k.a. Unai) Wide Road (Soultek‘s Morning Remix)
What is it that makes a great track? Mood? Arrangement? Beats? The message? This has it all. The intro evolves from a combination of pads, vocals, and a deep electronic bass. A landscape of dark house with a touch of dub spreads it out. The vocals add a glimmer of hope to this landscape and the experience is absolutely beautiful!
