Nick Chacona Love in the Middle
Variety can either be an enhancement or disaster on full-length album projects. In Nick Chacona’s […]
Variety can either be an enhancement or disaster on full-length album projects. In Nick Chacona’s case, cohesion steers his debut album, Love In The Middle, toward brilliance. Born wanderer, former XLR8R scribe, and prolific producer, Chacona artfully unites house, reggae, disco, and cosmic dance modes. Right off the bat, opener “Especial” brings percussive disco beats, reverby keys, and steady, dub-inspired bass pathways together at a sunny intersection. Things head in an Italo direction with “Turning and Tossing” followed by “The Fear,” a vocal number featuring the Sheffield’s Kathy Diamond, whose Patrice Rushen-esque voice compliment the electro-soul jam. There are echoes of Chacona’s eclectic house output on Hector Works on “Eskayelator” and “Autumn Pass,” while mid-tempo gems like “Hipstar” evokes Mudd or Prins Thomas’s hazy, shambolic output. Convincingly, Love in the Middle has found that sweet spot in the center of things.