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Album Review: Jazzanova - 'In Between' (Compost)
German beatmesiters Jazzanova formed in 1995, at around the time three of the six members ran a night at
Berlin's Delicious Donuts Research club. Seven years on, and in the wake of a slew of singles, a myriad
of remixes for the likes of 4 Hero and Incognito (captured in the 'Jazzanova: The Remixes' album), and
much critical acclaim, In Between is their much-awaited debut album.
'L.O.V.E. and You & I', the first track on the album, is a wonderful mish-mash of loving, chilled-out funk,
with samples courtesy of the Five Stairsteps adding texture. Half way through the track takes a new turn and
transforms into uplifting, swinging soul-jazz replete with vibraphone melodies and dramatic strings,
positively brimming over with soul - astounding considering that a lot of this is sample/computer-generated.
'No Use' is a downtempo soulful number which resonates with warmth, helped in no small part by the dulcet
tones of Clara Hill. 'The One-Tet' is a low-point, the stuttering beats tough to listen to, the wordplay of
guest rapper Capital A very disappointing in his complete lack of verbal originality, and the chorus a very
tired Jurrassic 5 fascimile. The last 15 seconds are a totally unrelated, drawn-out gospel-tinged jazz finale
which is stirringly beautiful, and leads one to lament why on earth that vibe could not have been interlaced
throughout the whole song - this also goes for the snippet 'Cyclic' later on in the album. 'Hanazono' is a
rousing and rolling mid-tempo flute, clave, vibes and bass-driven number which builds and builds, featuring
Hajime Yoshzawa who forges the path ahead on piano.
People often refer to Jazzanova as making 'broken-beat' music, as purveyed by West London's Bugz crew. This
is something I'd contest - their beats are usually somewhat simpler and more rolling than the drum
programming of Dego, IG, et al. However, track 5 - 'Mwela Mwela (Here I am)' - is broken-beat proper.
Thrown straight into a complex on-off-beat riddim, the song pauses for breath as left-field diva Valerie
Etienne joins the fray, with a soul-stirring melody that sets the hairs on the back of your neck on end,
before the beats kick back in again. 'Keep Falling', featuring Ursula Rucker providing spoken-word input
and Hawkeye Phanatic spitting commendable lyrics, just about keeps its head above water thanks to it's
subtle electro underpinning and nice chord changes. 'Another New Day' is a funk break, heavy on bass and
dramatic violins, and accompanied by vocals of the 'aaah, oooooh, doo dooo doo doo daaa' variety which
nicely complement the instrumentation.
'Mr. Sensuality' Vikter Duplaix makes his first of two appearances
on 'Soon', which is heavy on the electronics but light on the memorable-ness. 'Glow and Glare' is a
relatively low-key piece of traditional Compost future-jazz, complete with 80's-sounding synth plinks and
plonks - the one piece on the whole album that could quite easily have been released by them a few years
back. 'Takes You Back (Unexpected Dub)' is a harmless mid-tempo soul/boogie piece featuring Desney Bailey.
Doug Hammond guests on 'Dance the Dance', and whilst the tune itself is nice, featuring the vibes and strings
that Jazzanova do so well, kept in check by a metronome beat and march-like snares, Doug is unfortunately
seriously out of tune at several points, and wavering at best - very strange.
The final track, 'Wasted time', is a touching, melancholic, but quietly inspirational, ode to mortality,
with Vikter Duplaix expounding upon his determination to '....rise in the morning with the sun, and live
each day like it's (his) last one'. Indirectly it's a reflection upon a society where non-stop activity,
a constant fixation upon productively using every spare moment of time, is the means by which we fight for
a life with meaning, and fend off the alternative. Jazzanova's album hits that middle ground - where hard
work and a healthy aversion to an acceptance the norm find a juncture with a celebration of life's grandeur
- somewhere in between.
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RELATED LINKS:
Jazzanova
Compost Records
Buy album at Amazon.co.uk
PUBLISHED: Monday 5th August 2002
To send us music for potential inclusion, email us at
promos@knowtheledge.net
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::: RELATED LINKS
Jazzanova Website
Compost Records
Buy album at Amazon.co.uk
More Reviews
|
