beatless/as one/interfearance/victor davies/homecookin'

From: 21st century soul (emote@pacbell.net)
Date: Tue Aug 28 2001 - 21:51:53 CEST

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     just got a heap of releases for review and i thought i'd drop a brief
    synopsis on yas...

    as one - 21st century soul - ubiquity

    nice of kirk degiorgio to use my email moniker as the title for his new
    album, but it couldn't be more appropriate. this one's a bit less out there
    than his last full-length for mo'wax 'planetary folklore', but it's stunning
    enough to be up there in my top five for the year, no doubt. i'd even go on
    to say that it's a bit more dance-floor oriented, especially with a 2-step
    track near the end! it's got kirk's trademark melodies, complex rhythms and
    a couple vocal tunes that are so good it hurts. very intricate, funky, and
    ultra-soulful.

    beatless - life mirrors - ubiquity

    ubiquity are really going for the gold this year with alex attias and paul
    martin's first full-length Beatless album, and its another winner. on a
    future soul tip, the album cycles through wickedly funky midtempo
    instrumentals alongside downtempo collaborations with MC's Quasimodo and
    Madlib and a lush cover of 'love from the sun' with Oakland's Daughters of
    Lite. many superb vocal tunes abound, balancing solid performances with
    kinky beats and textured abstractions. awesome.

    victor davies - jazzanova/compost

    davie's self-titled debut features a few of his wonderful singles from the
    past year, but sadly none of the material surpasses the fantastic 'better
    place'. while i love the sparse acoustic-guitar-and-bright-strings
    accompaniment to his gruff, terry callier-esque baritone, i found the
    lyrical content to be lacking in a major way. i definitely plan on giving
    this further listening, but my initial reaction is one of disappointment.

    interfearance - take that train - ubiquity

    another winner. so glad i'm living in san francisco! :) this is great
    club-directed house music that flirts with jazz, latin, dub and techno and
    mixes it all up into a heady stew. very psychedelic and adventurous, these
    guys (paul martin from beatless with Tyrell, who's making an appearance in
    SF this weekend) manage to weave many elements into the mix without making
    it too muddy, if you know what i mean. multilayered and fun...

    homecookin' - sole

    seiji's new full-length under his housey homecookin' alias is the funkiest,
    most forward-thinking and yet classic-sounding club release of the year. the
    vocal tunes like 'lazy days' lift you up and the instrumentals literally
    force your ass to shake. i've listened to this album ten times now and it
    continues to be mindblowing.

    mikebee



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