TM Juke debuts a wistful album of Sunday afternoon lullabies for quality downtempo imprint Tru Thoughts-heavy on the sampled atmospherics yet with enough live edge to keep the music from becoming Muzak. Maps is split down the middle between instrumental tracks (like the sweet, jazzy Remember 99″ or the lazy, reverb-drenched “Just For A Day”) and vocal jams featuring Del-esque MC Bread & Water and Alice Russell-whose sassy and commanding delivery made the Quantic Soul Orchestra album sizzle-here scat-singing through “Playground Games.” Message to Tru Thoughts: keep it coming!
Noiseshaper The Signal
This release shows that German residents Axel Hirn and Flo Feischmann can dub it with the best of them. The Signal contains cuts that’ll shake speakers within inches of lives, and others that show the music isn’t just about the vibration of the bassbins. “Sunstorm” is a gorgeous slice of blissed out dubbiness, with pulsing breaks that are punctuated by echoey drum cuts and a smothering, melodic bass. “You Take Control” uses a slippery bass, proto-house beats and backwards key touches to create a perfect springboard for Jackie Dean’s awestruck vocals. A collection of timeless music from deep within.
Various Shapes One
This collection of wide-ranging masterpieces from Tru Thoughts once again illustrates their flair for signing unfamiliar musical talent. Alongside cuts from well-established talent in the world of lazy grooves and restless beats, this compilation showcases future stars. Kuzu’s “Restless” uses soft footstep-type percussion and questioning strings to create an air of indecision, which doesn’t aid vocalist Rachel Potter as she struggles to understand her feelings. Dubble D contributes “Slo,” a contemplative cut with introspective strings, brooding brass and distressed vocals. Shapes conforms to Tru Thoughts’s ideal of releasing music defined by its quality, not by its tempo or style.
Lonesome Echo Productions Silver Ocean
Japanese musical master Yashudi Ide touches down on Disorient, with a magical collection of spiritually aware grooves. Bringing in a wealth of talent, Yashudi adds his own perspective to timeless cuts and presents new, innovative tracks. “Ain’t No Sunshine” finds Ken Boothe and U-Roy lamenting the loss of a lover, alongside powerful reggae-flavored horns. “Soul Galactic” features Osunlade, who dreams of paradise as tender keys and convincing chords meet. “Wishing On A Star” is an apologetic vocal escapade, with dreamy keys and stirring live bass. Silver Ocean is a dive into a cleansing deep sea of musical discovery.
Various Verve Remixed 2
Verve’s brilliant remixes are Hitchcockian in nature-repeated exposure reveals secrets previously hidden in the shadows (or vaults, as it were).VR 2 is somewhat tamer than the inaugural project, and a simultaneous release of an unmixed version CD smacks of a money-wasting decision, unfortunately. However, virtually the entire first half is a keeper, with the Gotan Project’s gypsy-tinged take on Sarah Vaughan being the biggest catch, while the Fila Brazillia/Cal Tjader number gets tastier with each listen. Felix Da Housecat contributes a near-stellar remix of Nina Simone’s Sinnerman-much praise goes to any artist who can give us a dose of the late Ms. Simone in a new light.
Alexander Kowalski Response
German techno superstar Kowalski hit the dance-mag trifecta last year-showing, placing and winning in any number of categories ranging from Best Newcomer to Best Remixer. Response was created for Kowalski’s live sets, and beta testing ’round the world seems to guarantee another winner, especially with the Brazilian-flavored best-seller “Belo Horizonte.” Response has something for everyone-pop (“Lock Me Up”), an atmospheric and anthemic club tune (“Response”), and even a bonus moody track for sedentary listening (“Prevail”).
Various United Nations Of Future Music Volume: 02
Good vibes rumble again from the Bay Area, courtesy of The United Nations of Future Music, part deux. Om puts forth the prevailing cavalcade of Omies, with some new blood coursing through the downtempo house and hip-hop soundscapes. Kaskade and Rithma compute the audio equation with necessary groove-time components (“It’s You It’s Me” and “Love + Music,” respectively); then Andy Caldwell (with Marques Wyatt) and J-Boogie express the resultant responses (“I Can’t Wait” and “Curiosity,” much respectively). People Under the Stairs, King Kooba and Afro-Mystik toss in one or more ingredients to this delicious cosmic slop, and UN of FM newcomers Clayton & Fulcrum, Late Night Alumni and Grande Synthe keep it all fresh and flowing. Dig in!
Meteorites Dub The Mighty Dragon
On paper, the Meteorites sound awesome-dancehall-flecked British pop influenced by the Neptunes-but the reality is quite another story. They’re more like an ’80s-new wave reaction to the aforementioned names. Their debut’s crisp, synthesized production lacks both dancehall’s punch and the Neptunes’s sharpness, while the vocals strain for quirky, offbeat pop hooks ? la Pharrell’s NERD stuff, but don’t really swing or yearn. They do pull off some offbeat, catchy lyrics on the playful “Milkman” and the vampiric “Dracula.” Indeed the beats are headscratchingly uncategorizable-not hip-hop, not dancehall, not dub, just pop funk.
DJ Wally Emulatory Whoredom
A part of NYC’s illbient downtempo hip-hop scene for almost a decade, DJ Wally continues to explore the now-forgotten textures of stoney trip-hop. A shade more developed through the use of more spoken-word samples, the beats limp lethargically through almost 20 tracks, caught between sluggish ambience, non-conceptual samples and very gentle breaks. “Stringsnsthings” at least lunges with big-beat bravado and a seething, stringy atmosphere, while “Yes It’s True” has a pleasant skittishness. Devoid of attitude or innovation, Emulatory Whoredom merely is.
The Last Emperor Music, Magic, Myth
Long overdue, but very much aware of the moment, the Last Emperor is indeed the last of a dying breed. Continuing in the vein of the underground epic “Secret Wars,” where hip-hop stars battled comicbook supervillains, Music, Magic, Myth harks back to the mid-’90s lyric-focused style and street-conscious content. He’s all about snapping the lyrics percussively, often with multi-syllabic rhymes, and has an equal penchant for keen social commentary and mythic comic-book narratives. Backed by the Beatminerz, Prince Paul and Ayatollah, this is durable, classic hip-hop.
