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- September 1999 -
Deep
Swing pres. Toney Jones "Across The Land (Spread Love)" (Soul
Shine) - House |
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From the island oasis known as Soul Shine comes another
excellent double pack release, a double pack that accentuates
"true house." Since so little is every written about
the positive message of "true house," I will add my
two cents here. "Across The Land" is more of what we need
in this world, and Mr. Jones, my sincerest blessings goes
out to you for spreading God's message; a message that is
all the more needed since we're slowly becoming a world
of interconnected desensitized humans. On the musical front,
the mixes evoke a spirit lifting serenity that can only
be attributed to things that are God inspired. An excellent
union of music and message!
Marcel
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Jamiroquai
"Synkronized" (Sony/WORK) - Acid Jazz |
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Writing a review about a new record from my beloved Jamiroquai
while not even having one tiny little chance to give it
5 stars hurts! But what can I do? Jami's new album is far
away from being revolutionary and timeless as their first
two albums. But to be honest, this was an impossible task
in the first place, so maybe I should calm down a little
bit and try to forget about the time when money and fame
wasn't on their minds as much as it is nowadays - unfortunately.
Recently, I read a review on CNN about this album only to
see drummer Derrick McKenzie giving props to the American
MTV!? Please Derrick, of course MTV here in the US was responsible
for your breakthrough last year, but don't thank them. They
suck big time, and all MTV cares about is money. And having
CNN report that Jamiroquai was a one-hit wonder back in
the days before the success in the US is definitely not
true! Goddammit, why is it that every great group has to
finish on No. 1 in American charts? If that is so important
for you, let's all forget about the music because you will
be in good company with Bad Boy, No Limits or LaFace 'artists'.
Holla Holla, Dolla Dolla!
No wonder that Jamiroquai's newest album left me with mixed
feelings. On the one hand, I still dig a couple of tracks
like the beautiful "Falling," a track which takes us
back to jewels like "Mr. Moon." But even on highlights
like this something is missing! I don't want to join other
people, but former bass player, genius and man behind a
lot of Jami hits, Stuart Zender, is missing. Listen to "Falling"
and imagine Stuart's unprecedented bass playing, and you
will realize that a lot of soul, passion and heart is missing
because of Stuart's departure from Jamiroquai. Nick Fyffe,
the new bass player, is alright and he's trying hard, but
he still lacks the expressive power of Stuart's bass magic.
And why did Stuart leave the band? Basically because of
money reasons. I am sorry, but if I would have been Jay,
I would have tried everything to keep Stuart in the
band!
As a result, the music featured on this album lacks the
seriousness and sophisticated structures compared to tracks
like "Blow Your Mind" or "When You Gonna Learn?," something
which Derrick justifies as being because this album contains
the kind of music members from Jamiroquai would listen to
while having parties. There's nothing wrong about party
music, but I am sure the times when I had people going nuts
to songs like "Too Young To Die" or "Space Cowboy" are over.
The songs are just too predictable and simple structured
to make me jump up with the joy, something which I never
would have thought to write about music from Jamiroquai.
But leaving all those negative energies aside, there are
some tracks which are really nice. "Falling" was one of
them, "Butterfly" is another one, with its luscious strings
and mellow vibes while Jay's voice is as gorgeous as usual.
"Supersonic" is dope as well and reminded me of classical
Jamiroquai songs, because it features Wallis Buchanan on
Digeridoo. At the end let's also mention "Destitute Illusion,"
a killer track which provides tons of soulful vibes and
became my favorite track on "Synkronized," maybe because
it's an instrumental track and therefore lacks Jay's dominance.
I will leave you with the mixed feelings I still have.
But one thing is for sure, I will see Jamiroquai live on
July 12th here in Chicago, and I hope that they're still
the dopest live band on this planet. Maybe they continue
keeping it real at least live on stage, even without Stuart
on bass ...
MG
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Roy
Davis Jr. "Live On Da Set 1" (Undaground Therapy) - House
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A must have two track EP for those of you who appreciates
good music. The man with the golden touch returns with "Live
On Da Set 1" and the threshold of good music rises a few
more notches. A threshold that begins with the genre-less
"All 4 U," and ends with "Rock Shock," a musical
funk fusion that has Mr. Davis' genius written all over.
OK, here's my unbiased take on these two little gems. Well,
"All 4 U" is a superb heavenly reminder that He made this
world and all it's splendor for us all; something we all
seem to overlook at times, or even worst, take for granted!
With his soothing waterfallish vocals, Roy gets his point
across to those of us who dares to listen. Watch out for
the updated Hendrix-like guitar solo in this track... it's
a definite showstopper. On the other hand, "Rock Shock"
is a cutting edge track that takes our music to new heights,
without sacrificing the basic foundational elements or its
soul... a delicious musical concoction.
Marcel
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Glasgow
Funk Tracs "Deeva Feeva" (Playland) - House |
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Things aren't always what they seem, and how true that
rings when it comes to this release. Not one to get caught
up in the current overindulgence of filtered disco-wanna-be
tracks slowly making their rounds, I decided to give this
12" a chance. To my surprise, my musical voyage turned out
a lot better than I expected. As matter of fact, I am here
to inform you, that this 12" is neither a disco-wanna-be,
or overly filtered. Quite simply, it's an excellent record,
one that should have its moment in the spotlight. Although
all the mixes will serve their intended purpose on the dance
floor, I found myself lost in "Pete Heller's Dub'. It may
not have the same effect on you, but personally speaking,
this mix is... hmmmmmm... let me see how I can put this...
"WICKED." Bravo to the Playland staff for selecting
this winner!
Marcel
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Chris
Gray "Emotional Distortion" (Deep4Life) - House/Electronic
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If you're wondering how house music will sound in ten or
twenty years from now, listen to Chris Gray's latest album
and I promise you can't wait to end up in the future. No
doubt, Chris latest album is one of the strongest and most
creative contributions to our mother house music, and as
a bonus extremely deep and soulful. What else do I ask for?
Chris' album left me speechless and deeply shaken. It somehow
touched a chord in my soul, removed the worries in my life,
closed my eyes and transformed me into a parallel dimension,
where everything's gonna be alright. Isn't this one of the
main purposes of music? For me it is! And Chris does something
else which is important for me. He shows that house music
can be relaxing, that it can be smooth and that it can be
sentimental. When people normally think about house, they
mostly think about dance music. Well, listen to tracks like
"Undoubted Luv" or "Protekt U Frum The Werld," and
you will realize that this is soul music instead, very deep,
very soulful, and very heartwarming. Music which Larry Heard
started a decade ago, and music which gets transferred to
higher ground on this album.
But let me warn you. Chris music might be too experimental,
too electronic and maybe even too soulful for you, so be
careful. This album is for serious music lovas only, and
nothing for the part-time house music fan. You have to take
some time to experience the indescribable beauty of wide
empty spaces on some of the tracks. Just zipping through
the songs doesn't do it! But once you have settled down
and listened to it, you will realize how gorgeous house
music can be...
MG
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Dubtribe
Sound System "Equitoreal/Ain't Going Do U No Good" (Jive Electro)
- House
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Absolutely Magnificent! Sorry if I sound a bit bias, but
if you can show me a more spiritually conscious and talented
collective group of people than Dubtribe, then they will
get my vote. For the time being, I will continue to cast
my vote for this musical tribe, a tribe that always breaks
the mold when it comes to "true" music. Don't just take
my word for it... head to your local music outlet and grab
a copy, and start spreading the vibe of the tribe!!!!
Marcel
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Smash
Hunter "Midnite Dreams/Get Over" (Midnite Recordings) - House
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Fundamentally sound is how I would sum up this latest release
on Midnite. Here u have it music fans, no bells, no whistles,
no studio tricks, just a simple solid EP. This is an EP
that travels the highway of funk, while driving the beat
of soul. Jump to my favorite track, "Get Over" and experience
a vibe that should raise the temperature of your soul. By
the way, you don't have to wait till midnight to drop this
one. An easy buy if you're looking for one of those "I can
play this whenever" kinda record.
Marcel
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Calico
"The Basic Funk EP" (Deep Touch) - House
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Move over Paris, one of your Nordic neighbors is about
to join the French dominated realm of funkiness. "The Basic
Funk EP" will explode on the scene later this year, and
in my humble words, it's about to cause some musical disturbance.
No, no, people will not be rioting in the streets, but they
sure will be gyrating their bods on the dance floor to this
little gem in the making. This EP all you expect it to be
and then some, there is a track to suit every musical taste.
If funk is your musical drug of choice, then look no further,
and add this one to your prescription list. The Swedes are
coming... the Swedes are coming... you were warned!!!!
Marcel
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