Album Reviews |

February 5, 2009

RH+ – Quintana Roo (Nacional)

Leave it to Nacional Records to come up with another great act! Introducing RH+ or formerly known as “Rock Hudsen” by their Santiago, Chile hometown.

Don’t let their hometown Santiago fool you though, these guys sound more like they came from London, Paris, Vienna or …..Greenland!

RH+ ‘Quintana Roo’ is simply original and was produced with the help from local beatmaster and Nacional label mate DJ Bitman. On first listen I’m sucked in by the atmospheric turntabling, efx and vocal sampling. It almost reminds me of the Orb! But don’t let that fool you, this is definitely an artist record not a dj record. Think Stereolab meets Bent on some songs, then Cicada Meets Hooverphonic and The Orb…Wow!

Quintana Roo is a tasty blend of chilled (almost ambient) grooves mixed with straight ahead pop-rock. Were playing 8 of 15 songs from “Quintana Roo” on AREA54 if that says anything.

Quintana Roo

January 30, 2009

Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (EMI)

2008 debut album from Australian duo Empire Of The Sun is definitely a standout musically and visually. Check out at the album art, they look like they just came off the set of “Dune” …and the face paint stays on during their live performances and Youtube videos! And yes, their name was really influenced by the movie.

These guys play right into the hands of our retro roots and it seems they also play into the hands of the best remix DJ’s because there are some great mixes that we’ll play on the 94/7 AREA54 Cocktail mix.

If you enjoyed the sound of the early 80’s New Wave era, this one will be a hit! Empire of the Sun have a great feel for the sound of yesterday using all the advantages of modern technology. For AREA54 our favorite tracks are “Walking on a Dream” and “We are the People” among some other buried jems.

October 3, 2008October 3, 2008

Fort Knox Five ‘Radio Free D.C.’ (Fort Knox Recordings)

Fort Knox Five is a leading force in the international funk and breaks scene. Sid Barcelona, Jon Horvath, Rob Myers and Steve Raskin are the masterminds behind Fort Knox Five and have released an arsenal of floor rocking singles and remixes. Their renowned ‘Fort Knox Sound’ has overtaken dance floors with its distinct interweaving of live instrumentation with funky electronic breakbeats. Fort Knox Five’s talent for organic hooks has made them highly sought after by producers and remixers. They have over 20 remixes to their credit, including mixes for A. Skillz and Krafty Kuts, Kraak & Smaak (The Remix Sessions) , Ursula 1000 (Ursadelica), Dynamo Productions, and Mo’ Horizons (Some More Horizons), as well as remixes for the legendary Tito Puente, Louis Armstrong, and Bob Marley (Roots, Rock, Remixed). Further cementing Fort Knox Five’s reputation, Afrika Bambaataa—the godfather of hip-hop—asked them to produce four tracks on his album, Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light.

Tapped by URB Magazine for its annual “Next 100” list, Fort Knox Five ’s music has been featured on major compilations including the highly regarded Hotel Costes, Vol. 7: Sept and has been licensed to numerous films, television shows, commercials and video games. They also recently finished production on six original interactive tracks in the Fort Knox style for a major video game soundtrack.

For their highly anticipated debut album, Radio Free Dc, Fort Knox Five take things back to their roots and keep the vibe centered around Washington D.C. Home to many pioneering artists like Marvin Gaye, Chuck Brown and Fugazi, they draw upon their city’s rich musical heritage of funk, soul, punk and hip-hop for their inspiration. Fort Knox Five invited their close friends from around the Nation’s Capitol, including Asheru (Unspoken Heard), Mustafa Akbar, Rootz & Zeebo (See-I), Sleepy Wonder and Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses/The Make Up) to help them create a record that captures DC’s musical diversity.

Fort Knox Five Discography:

Radio Free Dc

The New Gold Standard

Reminted

The Underground Sound of DC: D.C.’s Finest Electronica Musicians Vol. 1

September 24, 2008October 3, 2008

Tricky ‘Knowle West Boy’ (Domino)

Tricky is back! Knowle West Boy is his first album in 5 long years. Knowle West Boy finds Tricky detailing travels and travails of his youth, exploring and seizing his roots as a child of multiple cultures growing up in Bristol, England. Recorded in London and LA, Knowle West Boy is an eclectic aural history of his upbringing, where unemployment was rampant and the music scene was extraordinarily vibrant. It was produced entirely by Tricky and his summation of everything he has accomplished– from early work with Massive Attack, to his breakout debut album, to the accolades and worldwide tours that followed– over his brilliant career.

Tricky Discography:

Knowle West Boy

Maxinquaye

Pre-Millennium Tension

Angels with Dirty Faces

Bomb the Bass ‘Future Chaos’ (K7)

Bomb the Bass is back, but put away that smiley face: this is no nostalgia trip. With Future Chaos, Tim Simenon revamps his long-running project to produce a record that’s fresher than anyone might have expected from an outfit that got its start in the ’80s. Tickling tweeters and pushing the limits of low-end, the album hovers confidently on the cusp between futurism and vintage, boasting the sort of confident songwriting that’s a rarity anywhere, much less in electronic music.
Simenon calls it “electronic music with soul,” but that barely begins to describe it. At once lush and chilly, intimate and alien, Future Chaos is a synth-rich album boasting guest vocals from Jon Spencer, Mark Lanegan, Fujiya & Miyagi’s David Best, Toob and Paul Conboy.
It’s been 21 years since Bomb the Bass’ “Beat Dis” helped usher in the era of sampling, acid house and DJ culture. It’s easy to forget how monumental the single was. Going straight to number two in the UK charts, the song’s success quickly propelled Simenon from underground DJ to in-demand knobsman.
On Future Chaos, Simenon’s guest vocalists are as inspired as ever. David Best, of Fujiya & Miyagi, spreads his trademark free-association whispers all over “Butter Fingers.” Toob, the duo of Jakeone (Jake Williams) and Red Snapper’s Richard Thair, lend a nervous, sultry touch to “Burn the Bunker.” Jon Spencer—yes, he of Blues Explosion fame—infuses “Fuzzbox” with the distant purr of robot phone sex. But the most striking appearance here might be Mark Lanegan’s. Formerly of the Screaming Trees, a onetime member of Queens of the Stone Age and collaborator with PJ Harvey, Lanegan has a voice like no other; on “Black River,” his smokes-and-whiskey drawl proves the perfect complement to Bomb the Bass’ rich sonics.
The more you listen, the more you hear—ghostly tones, stealthy modulations, diamond-like harmonics that dissolve upon impact. That’s immediately clear with “So Special,” the album’s first single—a melancholy disco lullaby with harmonies downy enough to rest your weary head upon. An electronic album that isn’t bound by genre; a pop album that’s not afraid to stretch out or space out– Future Chaos is these things and more, and it’s here now. If this is the shape of chaos, maybe we don’t have so much to worry about!

September 24, 2008

Thievery Corporation ‘Radio Retaliation’ (ESL Music)

Thievery Corporation (international DJ and production duo Rob Garza and Eric Hilton) is back with their highly anticipated fifth independent studio album Radio Retaliation. Along with longtime microphone co-conspirators like Sleepy Wonder, Lou Lou, and Notch, the “outernational” DJ and production duo are joined this time by a new cast of musical collaborators including Nigeria’s afro-beat heir Femi Kuti, Brazilian star vocalist and guitarist Seu Jorge, Indian sitar virtuoso Anushka Shankar, Slovakian chanteuse and violinist Jana Andevska, and Washington DC’s own godfather of go-go Chuck Brown. The album has an uncompromising socio-political agenda and richly layered production touching upon the eclectic sounds of Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

“Radio Retaliation is definitely a more overt political statement,” says Garza. “There’s no excuse for not speaking out at this point, with the suspension of habeas corpus, outsourced torture, illegal wars of aggression, fuel, food, and economic crises. It’s hard to close your eyes and sleep while the world is burning around you. If you are an artist, this is the most essential time to speak up.” Naturally, the duo decided to raise their voice.
With Radio Retaliation, recorded entirely in their Washington DC-based studio, Thievery Corporation have managed to blossom in the heart of a city they often refer to as “Babylon;” a poignant reference to the traditional Rastafarian distaste and distrust of a corrupt and unjust modern system. Although the city is best known as the seat of an aggressive American Empire, paradoxically Washington DC has long been the home of a music subculture legendary for fierce independence, a staunch do-it-yourself work ethic, and conscientious social activism exemplified by genre-defining pioneers like godfather of go-go Chuck Brown and indie punk rockers Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Fugazi.

Radio Retaliation finds inspiration in the uncompromising political music of groups like the Clash, Public Enemy, and Fela Kuti and is without a doubt Thievery Corporation’s broadest and most progressive album yet.