Is there a chasm between the opening (“Undercooled”) of Sakamoto‘s return effort and the ending theme (“Seven Samurai”)? Perhaps musically but not conceptually-and when you understand that, the disparate sounds all make sense. One of the inventors of Japanese electro-pop, and the man behind neo-geo, this Yellow Magician is a peacenik, every song a demonstration of military madness, civilian protest, and downtime serenity. Long time collaborator David Sylvian‘s fragile voice on “World Citizen” encapsulates Sakamoto‘s desire to non-violently exist in a world where industry‘s machines and nature‘s instruments share mental real estate.
Various Artists Down Santic Way
One likkle sampling of this ital platter and you‘ll be wondering where this dub treasure was all your life. Leonard Chin may not have invented echo on the drums, heavy heavy descending basslines that suddenly drop, or the Jah-inspired vocal riffing, but between 1973 and 1975 this producer‘s label (Santic Way) was as good as the best. And why not? Just look at the players: Augustus Pablo gives you his emotional melodica and exceptional xylophone; Freddie McKay was an underrated Rocker; and Jah Lloyd‘s deejay voice is legendary.
Cinque Cento Lake Shore Drive
It‘d be easy to overlook this slick album as still more chilled-out pop electronica from Northern Europe. But then you‘d miss the robot-rock funk of “Grand Funk Auto,” the delicious echoes of “Someone Got Lifted,” and the kitschy cocktail swank of “Ease My Mind.” Producer T.D. Nicholson [no relation] began as a bass player and subtle but catchy b-lines drive each song, but what really makes Lake Shore Drive a special trip is his nuanced, dubby production, which is positively frozen when compared to the usual lukewarm attempts at chill.
Various Artists Triple R Selection 3
Maximal is the new minimal. Or so one could assume from the third Riley R. Reinhold mix, which keeps many of the lean angles Trapez helped popularize while beefing them up with saucy, almost progressive synths and hilariously ridiculous vocals. The former sound appears on tracks from Reinhold with Steve Barnes (“Mondrian”) and Matthias Rahn (“Programmed Society”), while the latter update comes courtesy of two tracks by Und, including “Racehorse,” with an absurd upper-class accent recounting tales of jockeys. Best of all, the set is absolutely dead-on, with devastatingly straight mixes reminding you that sometimes less is more. Or is it now more is less?
Mark De Clive-Lowe Tide‘s Arising
Doesn‘t matter which part of the world you call home, Japanese-New Zealander Mark de Clive-Lowe has got you covered with this tremendous album of funk in all its flavors. MdCL welcomes a host of vocalists-including regular coconspirators like London‘s Bembé Segué and Abdul Shylon (who voiced the Co-Op Club smash “Relax…Unwind”), plus aloof SF wallflower Capitol A, who steps to the mic on the jamming “Traveling.” But the real star of Tide‘s Arising is MdCL himself. His ease with the keys (check the rolling flow of “Pino + Mashi”) and MPC (feel the irresistible grinding broken beat of “Quintessential) is matched only by a clear vision, which makes this album into something more than just a collection of virtuosos. MdCL is here to freak the funk.
Deru Trying To Remember
M3rck Records admirably mines a trove of solo producers who refuse to be categorized-here they strike gold with Deru‘s second long-player. Building on the strengths of Pushing Air (Neo Ouija), Deru has meticulously crafted a work that is shockingly beautiful both close-up and from a distance. Balancing captivating textures like the shifting clicks and scrapes of “Spread Your Arms,” and lost hip-hop beats (catch the wooden bass drum thump of “Tapah”), the Chicago-to-LA transplant weaves an impressive and satisfying sound. Deru‘s blend of gorgeously abstract detail and subtly funky grooves never looses sight of the forest for the trees.
A Gun Called Tension A Gun Called Tension
A collaboration between Free Association vocalist/NYC rasta fashion maven Sean Reveron and Modest Mouse guitarist/Murder City Devils founder Dann Gallucci, A Gun Called Tension‘s self-titled debut is what might be expected, and then some. Twisting through genres on a track-by-track basis, AGCT takes in dancehall, hip-hop, dub, garage rock, and indie pop without much concern for cohesiveness but pulls it off, thanks to Reveron‘s perfectly raspy, MC-ish vocals and a steady slew of guest musical collaborators such as Roots Manuva, Airborn Audio, and Pretty Girls Make Graves‘ Andrea Zollo. It all comes together on “Gold Fronts,” a jam that sounds like everything and nothing in particular.”
Various Artists Chicken Lips: Clicks, Acid ‘N‘ Disco
There is something to be said for the unexpected, the shock of the new and the rare. Of course, there is also something to be said for getting exactly what you came for. And when it comes to Chicken Lips, that‘s all you get. While it could surely be argued that the UK trio threatens to bury themselves in a pile of homogeneous late ‘70s/early ‘80s powder funk, when they‘re on their game, they‘re hard to knock. Here selecting choice mixes-Putsch 79‘s remix of Nick Chacona, Zongamin‘s mix of Cut Copy, and their own brilliant acid working of Headman‘s “It‘s Rough,” to name a few-head Lip Steve Kotey has delivered their best mix yet.
Mahjongg Raydoncong 2005
Named after the ancient Chinese card game that experienced considerable popularity in America after Westerners discovered it in the international colony of Shanghai, this Chicago/ Missouri quintet specializes in the kind of white funk that comes from listening to records from Africa to, erm, Shanghai. Like their debut Machinegong EP, Raydoncong reveals links to Remain in Light-era Talking Heads, “Overpowered By Funk”-era Clash, and perhaps even a little Bowie. But rather than come off like the most recent punk-funk appropriators preparing for stylized press shots, the group‘s loosely structured jams are refreshing, earnest, and just plain fun.
Subtractivelad Giving Up The Ghost
In Giving up the Ghost, Stephen Hummel hits his listeners with mile-high waves of synth drones and symphonics before snapping in IDM beats to break up the clouds. It is all about exorcising the “ghosts” in all of us 7-to-7ers, you see. He repeats this ambient method until one is restless enough to fast-forward through the filler to get to the rather lukewarm beats. However, some songs are worth the wait: “Freckle” is fine melancholia for homeless life under a 24th century city‘s glass dome, while “Nothing is Enough” weaves synth textures so thick that they smother like a pillow.
