The Sideman

Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician - Lightweight Heavy

2004-08-23T17:11:00.000+10:00

Artist: Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician
Album: Lightweight Heavy
Label: Xceptional / Creative Vibes
File Under: Soulful Hop
Rating: Four stars

Purists may scoff at the thought of hip-hop without an MC’s vocals but Fat Jon, lyricist and beat maker for the Cincinnati based hip hop crew 5 Deez and occasional collaborator with Pole, delivers an album centred around eloquent blunted beats and sophisticated late night jazzy vibes that come together to create seductive and subtly emotive grooves. As the title Lightweight Heavy suggests, this fourteen track collection is a rich tapestry of sampled sounds concentrating on the interplay of sweetly languorous string, flute, acoustic guitar and piano melodies with punchy riddims and rumbling heavyweight dubby basslines. Drifting from the spaced out folk of Everywhere that’s moved along with a bit of bounce and bump through to the urbane funk of Space Man, it is virtually impossible to pick highlights as Fat Jon connects with his listeners throughout. Who would have ever thought that chilling out could be so bootylicious? (The Sideman)

Kava - The Empty Hall Sessions

2004-08-23T17:10:00.000+10:00

Artist: Kava
Album: The Empty Hall Sessions
Label: Fabrique Records / Creative Vibes
File Under: Electro Lounge
Rating: Three stars

Austrian Thomas Pötz aka Kava lathers up a lusciously vibrant mood on his debut album which reportedly took two years to produce. Pötz brings together elements of broken beats, abstract electronica, jazz, funk and deep soulful house to formulate a sound that’s sure to appeal to nu jazz and electro lounge enthusiasts. Although laidback in approach Pötz injects enough energy into his grooves to ensure that they tug strongly at the hips. Strong performances from Angelina Müllner and Noemi add extra depth to Pötz’s productions. While Müllner features on the Pötz’s jazzier house numbers such as Blueman and The Outside Game, Noemi who sounds alarmingly like Bjork maintains a softer wide eyed and innocent presence on Stay and Day. A smooth and slick ride into laidback feel good cruisy indulgence. (The Sideman)

DIN AV 01/04/CN/86.03 out now on DVD Scape

2004-08-22T14:16:00.000+10:00

Artist: Various
DVD: DIN AV 01/04/CN/86.03
Label: DVD Scape / Inertia
File Under: Minimal Electronica
Rating: Four stars

Stefan Betke’s influential electronic label ~scape recently spawned two sublabels, pop scape and DVD scape. Interestingly the latter, an audiovisual imprint that gives visual artists an opportunity to set down some images to the music is something few independent record labels have the resources to manage. ~scape has largely relied on Berlin based multimedia outfit Visomat Inc. to put together this collection of videos. This group of visual artists have been heavily involved on the Berlin club scene since ’93, providing visuals for live shows and DJ sets. Visomat Inc. known for their sound reactive visuals seem to understand the ~scape aesthetic and have come up with video that perfectly compliment the starkly minimal yet innovative electronica on which ~scape’s reputation rests. The computer technology that has revolutionized synthesis and recording is also responsible for delivering the music’s visual equivalent. Sampled and original footage is looped and layered to create abstract pictures that synchronously ebb and flow with the delicate layers of sound that have also been assembled on laptops from sampled fragments of sound. Jan Jelinek’s Modell Statt Berlin is accompanied by abstract footage of a model town where focus is modulated to create subtle shifts in our perception of depth of field moving backwards and forwards from a representation of two to three dimensional space. Jutojo captures the sweetness of Christian Kleine’s Filmtitel Einkleben with nostalgic fragmented glimpses of a daydream. Umatic takes Safety Scissors Mix 2769 into a deranged video game where the beats underscore our progress through a game programmer’s imagined reality. A million miles away from the ultra vivid fractals and 3D animations of nineties club music videos, DIN AV 01/04/CN/86.03 proposes a shift in the visual language of the medium. Much like ambient music the extended sequences of visual abstraction are not intended to be closely watched but rather are concerned mainly with mood and ambiance and are keen to blur the line between video installation, night club visuals and music video. DIN AV 01/04/CN/86.03 is perfect for post club chilling. (The Sideman - from Beat 23/8/04)

Frederic Galliano & the African Divas - Sacré Live

2004-08-21T11:53:00.000+10:00

Artist: Frederic Galliano & the African Divas
Album: Sacré Live
Label: F Communications / Creative Vibes
File Under: Afro House
Rating: Five stars

Ingeniously bringing together indigenous African music and house on their self titled album back in 2000, Frederic Galliano and the African Divas are responsible for arguably one of the most innovative house albums of recent years. Sacré Livé returns with a similar formula but captures all the atmosphere, energy and spontaneity of their live shows. Galliano, Lipitone and Ali Boulo Santo work up a bouncy afro house backing for the three vivacious divas from Mali, Nigeria and Senegal who engage the audience with strong, melodic songs sung in their native tongues. Hypnotic tribal rhythms and exotic sounds are merged with the bouncy thump of house to create a series of relentless grooves which burst at the seams with a vibrant and joyous life affirming vibe. Rather than just serving up live versions of tracks we already know Galliano and his crew deliver nine new tracks and only three previously released ones. If they are this good live let’s hope it isn’t long before Frederic Galliano and the African Divas visit our shores. (The Sideman - From 100% - July 2004)

Jimi Tenor - Beyond The Stars

2004-08-21T11:49:00.000+10:00

Artist: Jimi Tenor
Album: Beyond The Stars
Label: Kitty-Yo/Creative Vibes
File Under: Psychedelic Jazz Funk
Rating: Five stars

Constrained only by imagination and the speed at which his spaceship can take him to the extreme outer limits of the universe, Beyond The Stars showcases Jimi Tenor at his wildest, freest and arguably most accomplished. On the surface of things it seems that Tenor is intent on paying homage to Sun Ra and with titles like Moon Goddess and Asteroid Belt, space is definitely the place. While exploring deep psychedelic jazz funk Tenor is unable to shake off the influence of hedonistic ‘50s cocktail lounge music and the sensual sound sensations once offered up by the Love Unlimited Orchestra. Tenor gravitates towards fresh and inventive arrangements that increasingly seem to require the talents of a huge number of musicians. Featuring German afrobeat outfit Rhythm Taxi, Finnish big band UMO, the Aventur Choir, poet and painter Allonymous, Buddhist drummers, wife Nicole Willis and long time collaborator Maurice Fulton, Beyond The Stars is an ambitious but completely satisfying album.
(The Sideman - From 100% - 11 August 2004)

Bigg Jus - Black Mamba Serums v2.0

2004-08-21T11:44:00.000+10:00

Artist: Bigg Jus
Album: Black Mamba Serums v2.0
Label: Big Dada / Inertia
File Under: Leftfield Hip Hop
Rating: Four stars

Black Mamba Serums originally slated for release on 9/11 never got released in America. Bigg Jus aka Justin Ingleton refocussed his rage and took this album back into the studio. The Black Mamba Serums v2.0 delivers an urgent but intelligent mix of social protest, self reflection and a searing indictments of the Bush administration. Bigg Jus’ flows delivered
with genuine anger and frustration are accompanied by a dense experimental collage of funk, soul, rock and pop that’s sombre verging on nightmarish. While so many artists seem to have so little on their minds Bigg Jus manages to comment on everything creating a bleak vision of a world hell bent on self destruction. Spitting vitriol at an increasingly superficial mainstream hip hop culture, perhaps we should be listening when Bigg Jus screams with barely contained rage, “America is using depleted uranium tipped weapons”. Also generously included in mp3 format are the original twenty three serums which were only ever released in Japan. Compelling listening. (The Sideman - From 100% - 18 August 2004)

Boom Bip - Corymb

2004-08-21T11:42:00.000+10:00

Album: Corymb
Artist: Boom Bip
Label: Lex / Inertia
File Under: Electric Hop
Rating: Four stars

Orbiting around the outer edges of hip hop Boom Bip aka Bryan Hollon experiments with the form combining it with textured electronica to create an interesting hybrid. If Aphex Twin and DJ Shadow got together and seriously started messing with our expectations of hip hop and IDM perhaps they would sound something like this. This collection compiles remixes lifted off recent twelves giving acts like Boards of Canada, Venetian Snares, Four Tet, cLOUDEAD, Lali Puna and Mogwai amongst others to assert themselves in the mix. The calibre of Bip’s remixers result in some quality mixes but interestingly the new studio tracks recorded with his live ensemble suggest the emerging influence of seventies Krautrock. A solid and highly recommendable collection but fans who may already own much of this on vinyl are impatiently waiting the arrival of a proper album. (The Sideman - From 100% - 18 August 2004)