CD Review: Axel Krygier's 'Hombre De Piedra'

Axel Krygier
Hombre De Piedra
Crammed 

The contemporary recording, Hombre De Piedra, showcases an experimental vein of Axel Krygier's cross-cultural side. As a singer and composer, Axel brings together spaghetti Western, folk, Balkan, French cafe, blues, electronica, funk, and jazz influences for a truly exciting collection of songs that are never boring. The musical origins stem from Axel's Argentinian background, but this is not your typical tourist trap music. Instead, Axel combines edgy French, Russian, and Latin-American song styles for an enthralling release. A diverse instrumental repertoire helps the songs reach new heights and incredible appeal. Whether it is down-tempo or world music, Axel manages to create wonderful songs that are highly catchy and always memorable. If you are into new music with an ear-friendly beat; then try Axel's new release. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Marti Nikko & DJ Drez's 'Dreaming In Sanskrit'

Marti Nikko & DJ Drez
Dreaming In Sanskrit
Black Swan Records

Blissful, electronic, and yoga-inspired, Dreaming In Sanskrit is the debut work of husband and wife duo, Marti Nikko and DJ Drez. The thirteen tracks are soaked with lush dub melodies, sitar-sizzling riffs, and down-tempo beats that cannot be ignored. Marti and DJ Drez are accompanied by Bansuri flute, cello, bass, sax, chinese flute, piano, flute, and tabla. The repeated Sanskrit mantras are very soothing and rhythmic, while backed by symphonic sounds and ambulating beats. There are even Arabic sounds on a few tracks, but the most prevalent influence is modern mantra and yoga-inspired music with lengthy melodies and electronic wizardry that is not too overt. Fans of yoga, meditation, down-tempo, groove-laden, and world fusion music will love. ~ Matthew Forss

Digital Music Review: Broken Quote's 'Foreshadowing Sunlight'

Broken Quote
Foreshadowing Sunlight EP
Self-Release

Houston, TX-based and cosmically-driven, Broken Quote (AKA David Schrier), infiltrates the downtempo world with an experimental, electro-acoustic, and trip-hop recording of aural delight. The swishy electronics, sparkling tones, eerie sounds, and cosmic array of noises make all of the songs stand out. The instrumental, electro-funk and rock tune, "Glass Ceiling," contains an effervescent mix of downtempo chills, intergalactic noises, and radiant keyboard tones that are equally happy in a dance club or outer space. "Sparks Water The Seeds" is nothing more than a solo steel pan medley that is slow and meditative, but definitely appropriate for the rest of the album. "Mispronounce" is another slower tune, but it is more of an electro-acoustic song that includes David's whisper-like vocalizations ideal for trip-hop or downtempo music. "Late Night Ocean" includes electronic blips, industrial noises, and atmospheric washes with a trip-hop percussion sequence and sparkling noises with steel pan, keyboard, and laser-like electronica for a truly intergalactic ride. "Ghost Crowd" is a vocal tune with deep bass sounds, electronica embellishments, and a pensive beat that is entrancing and delicious. All in all, David produces a fine release that is a little bit over twenty-minutes. The album is only a download release at this time. It is highly recommended for trip-hop and downtempo fans. ~ Matthew Forss
 

CD Review: Various Artists' 'Herb Records 2013'

Various Artists
Herb Records 2013
Herb Records

Psychedelic beat-masters at Herb Records brings us a thrilling compilation of funk, groove, and down-tempo dance music with several top artists. You will hear Hydrophonics, Congo Sanchez, Groove Status, and a few featured artists, such as Gil Scott Herron, Das Beats, Jeremy Schon, and J. Robert Opeenheimer. The funky, groove-laden beats are hip, psych-infused, and dance-rich. The sensual vibes and laid-back tones are thought-provoking and modern. As a mostly instrumental collection, the vocals are few-and far-between, but that does not diminish their intensity. The label's founder has ties to Thievery Corporation, which is something that only adds to the multi-faceted recording. Most of the tunes are dance-friendly and trip-hop-heavy without the need for loud and aimless dance beats. Anyone with a knack for down-tempo, trip-hop, and psych-funk-dance music will love Herb. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Yasi's 'Bullet Through My Heart'

Yasi
Bullet Through My Heart
Yasi Music

Canada's electro-pop princess, Yasi, brings us a set of three songs that traverse the electronic worlds of pop, down-tempo, and dance with lush, sensual vocals and industrial, frenetic, and heart-pounding beats. The pulsating, cinematic, and dance-friendly tune, "Bullet Through My Heart," is a swishy percussion tune that is matched with dreamy, electronic embellishments that are heavenly to say the least. With vocals akin to Hooverphonic and Alpha and a beat resembling Lady Gaga and Katie Melua, Yasi makes her mark with these three tunes. "Dressed To Kill" is amore industrial-esque tune with metallic sounds, spirited vocals, and loud, swishy percussion sounds that are magnificent and entrancing. The dance tune contains showers of metallic sounds and soaring vocals that are sweet, yet commanding. The final tune, "Forever More," contains pizzicato sounds and chiptune elements with frenzied percussion. The edgy vocals and metallic noises are more abstract than the other tunes, but there is still a dance element throughout. At any rate, Yasi is a voice to reckon with in the dance genre today! If you want more substance in dance music, you've come to the right place. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Alific's 'Echoes From The Soul'

Alific
Echoes From The Soul
Rootfire

Alific (aka Brendan Dane) combines down-tempo electronica with world reggae beats for an unforgettable musical journey on Echoes From The Soul. Alific collaborates with KBong, Lenny Kurlou, Stick Figure, Mateo Monk, Haile Supreme, and even Frank Mitchell Jr. of Thievery Corporation-fame. This is a DJ's paradise with urban grooves, world fusion, catchy loops, and vibrant percussion with fluid vocals and atmospheric embellishments. There are fourteen tunes with great instrumental set-ups and world grooves with English vocals on most tracks. Alific's impressive nightclub resume stems from experience in both California and Washington, D.C.. The dub and reggae sounds resonate with such splendor and grandeur throughout. Electronic, dub, reggae, and upbeat down-tempo lovers will find happiness in these tunes. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Switzerland's Aurah Releases 'Summon The Sky'

Aurah
Summon The Sky
Very Music Inc.

Aurah is a Swiss-born and American-based duo with an ambient, electronica, and down-tempo groove. Aurah is comprised of musicians Marc Dold and Judith Martin. The opening tune, "Three Little Birds," is a Bob Marley cover, but it is a perfect new age tune with soaring vocals and contemporary arrangements. "Take My Breath Away" is a blissful tune with a smooth bass-line, electronic arrangements, and wispy vocals in a Hooverphonic-esque manner. "Summon The Sky" is an atmospheric gem with soaring vocals, blurby electronics, and a heavenly, yet subtle beat with a dreamy foundation. "Shine On" is a rootsy, electro-acoustic anthem with a few guitars, heady percussion, and back-up vocals in a somewhat rock instrumental manner that is not too loud. "Khorwa" contains a little electronic vocals, booming percussion sounds, and atmospheric blips that thoroughly explores the nature of world fusion and contemporary downtempo early on, but a strong rock vein pushes through. The final track, "Pleasant Placidness," is a rustic guitar song with a meandering melody without the aid of additional instrumentation for the most part and no vocals. Aurah is a mix of downtempo, dance, dream, meditation, and new age. Anyone seeking creative downtempo and ambient music will love Aurah's latest offering. ~ Matthew Forss

Song Review: Freddie Atlas' "Vain"

Freddie Atlas

“Vain”

New York City-based singer, songwriter, and pianist, Freddie Atlas, brings a hopeful and contemplative mood to the new single, “Vain.”  The meandering piano melodies and wistful, symphonic washes and arrangements provide a sense of classicism with rather steady vocals.  The music revolves around an absence of percussion, which highlights the vocal performances and new age piano.  “Vain” opens with the sounds of rainfall and flowing water interrupted with a loud, but distant, thud.  The rainfall is joined by a symphonic crescendo of new age delight that soars in and out of blissful resonance.  The tone is somewhat dreamy and it reflects a hopeful sense of yearning.  The symphonic piece wanes and a slow, pensive piano arrangement begin.  Freddie’s slow, but achingly beautiful vocals take over, but they are not very pronounced.  Instead, the vocals seem to match the instrumental accompaniment with ease.  There are a few wispy, background vocals that accompany Freddie’s vocals in parts, but they are mainly indiscriminate.  Mid-song, Freddie’s vocals attain a bit of a more up-tempo peak, along with some orchestral arrangements. The free-flowing piano melody is sparkling, meditative, and memorable.  The piano melody continues for the last minute or so of the song, while some water sounds return, as in the beginning. Freddie Atlas seems to hit all the right chords here.  The music starts slow and patient, but opens up a bit with some more up-tempo piano parts and orchestral washes of sound.  Instrumentally, the song succeeds without fault.  Vocally, Freddie has an innate ability to wrap his vocals around smooth and classical melodies with effortlessness.  The pensive and calming, yet emotional vocals, are somewhat reminiscent of Paul Buchanan’s work with the instrumental down-beat and new age-isms of Craig Armstrong.  At any rate, Freddie’s song is an excellent composition that elicits many emotions and feelings without tripping up.

Review by Matthew Forss

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

 

CD Review: Kaleidoscope Jukebox's 'Infinite Reflection'

Kaleidoscope Jukebox
Infinite Reflection
Rhythm & Culture

Multi-instrumentalist and Indiana-native, Clint Carty, showcases his musical talents on the intelligent, enthralling, and electronic release, Infinite Reflection. The music is upbeat with all the electronic nuances of trance, down-tempo, funk, and experimental dance music. There are ethnic influences, fusions, and melodies throughout. However, the power of electronica seems to keep it all together. There are hints of hip-hop, soul, jazz, and dance that are unmistakable. Spoken word vocals are the primary vocals with a little rap thrown in. The result is more informational; rather than for the joy of singing. At any rate, the fourteen tracks possess something stellar--an inherent ability to teach us something new with each note. The largely upbeat melodies and rhythms make Infinite Reflection a must-have for forward-thinking audiophiles. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: DJ Drez' '4AM Plum Mood'

DJ Drez
4AM Plum Mood
Black Swan Sounds

DJ Drez creates a new world of atmospheric dub and downtempo delight. The music is rich with laid-back grooves, instrumental bliss, and dreamy sequences that are anything but hectic or chaotic. The smooth and slow tunes are perfect for an evening of relaxation. The trippy melodies are steeped in world music wanderings over the past several years. The ambient elements are at the forefront here. The exotic chill-out music is ideal for anyone interested in new age, space, atmospheric, quiet dub, and contemporary instrumental music with a bit of fusion thrown in. This is perfect for the lounge lizard in your family. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Exit Project's 'Livesplashes'

Exit Project
Livesplashes
Creative Commons

Exit Project is a Russian-based group that transcends description, but the genre-bending styles and musical exploits of the group traverse the world of nu-jazz, electronica, downtempo, fusion, and experimental realms. The rather limited use of vocals allows the instrumentation to lead the charge throughout. The percussion displays and ambient washes combine with evocative club-beats and groovy melodies with multiple personalities to provide an extremely engaging result. However, only four tracks are included on the album. The lack of tracks does not connote lack of quality. The four tracks are morsel-filled with scrumptious delights of ear candy for the heart, soul, and everything in-between. Not quite as electronic as Tangerine Dream, Exit Project does indeed follow TD with some familiar characteristics of percussion and arrangements. Fans of experimental, fusion, jazz, and improvisational instrumental music should check out Russia's Exit Project. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Meklit & Quinn's Self-Titled Release

Meklit & Quinn
Meklit & Quinn
Porto Franco Records

Meklit Hadero, a native of Ethiopia, and Quinn Deveaux, from California, showcase their blend of soul, blues, and a little downtempo funk from music by Arcade Fire, Talking Heads, MGMT, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, Kyle Field, Neil Young, and Sam Cooke. Meklit's vocals are a perfect mix of Sade and Leona Naess. Quinn's vocals are slightly bluesy, but there is an element of smooth jazz vocalizations with airy and sultry deliveries. The twelve tracks explore a bit of nostalgic jazz, soul, R&B, and downtempo. Meklit writes "Slow" and "Sent By You," which is composed with Quinn. The music contains a plethora of instrumentation, including guitar, keyboard, bass, piano, mellotron, strings, trumpet, tuba, pedal steel guitar, trombone, sax, organ, washboard, B3, and others. The soft grooves and stirring melodies are modern in composition, but they reflect a sort of classical ambiance from America's early music history. The music is not rock or folk; it's just good music with good instrumentation. It's that simple...and delectable. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: Kelly Padrick's 'Soulmate'

Kelly Padrick
Soulmate
Self-Release

The Providence, Rhode Island-born electronica temptress, Kelly Padrick, flexes her angelic wings on this dreamy, gritty, and laid-back recording of heavenly noise. Kelly's down-tempo grooves and sweet vocals are backed by a little keyboard tones, acoustic guitar, lilting percussion, and cinematic string sounds. The effect is similar to anything laid-back by Lolo, Katie Melua, or Hooverphonic. The opening crystalline tones, scattered percussion, and electronic ambiance of the first track, "Piercing," is only some of what Kelly Padrick is all about. The bluesy, gritty, and Western-tinged electronica tune, "Tangled Forest," is something that one would likely hear in the opening sequences of HBO's True Blood, but this is only a comparison, as Kelly does not have any connection with the show. At any rate, "This Time" contains a breakbeat sound that is quite acoustic and groundbreaking with a slight dance tone and full cinematic beauty. "So Long" opens with a bit of acoustic guitar, which is a small departure from the other songs. This is more of a drawn out acoustic guitar song with some electronic pings, washes, and fluctuations. The eleven songs are perfect for the down-tempo, lounge, and trip-hop music fan. I give it five stars out of five. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Christiane D's 'Obliquity Of The Ecliptic'

Christiane D
Obliquity Of The Ecliptic
Self-Release

The urban beats of Pennsylvanian-writer, poet, and singer, Christiane D, is anything but boring. In this case, Obliquity Of The Ecliptic tramples the genres electronica, funk, hip-hop, avant-garde, pop, and experimental music by defying logic and perceived notions of musicianship. Elements of trip-hop and down-tempo delights slow some of the music to a steady pace that is as reflective as it is engaging. A variety of eerie, quirky, and noisy sounds that are indescribable are scattered throughout the album. Anyone with an interest in Bjork, experimental electronica, and genre-bending pop and rock music will love Christiane D's different form of musical expression. The thirteen tracks showcase diverse vocals, dark melodies, and spacey adornments that are ideal for relaxing, dancing, and meditation. This is post-industrial, neo-art rock/chill music at its best. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Telepath's 'Crush'

Telepath

Crush

Telepath Music

Telepath is the brainchild of Michael Christie and it is composed of several musicians from around the world, including Jamaica, Africa, India, and the USA. The third release, Crush, is sure to keep up the beat of global trip hop, downtempo, dancehall, and electronica. A fresh and engaging sound is one of the most important hallmarks of Telepath. The groove-laden beats are especially attractive on "Justify", "In This Time", "Mama", "Carry The One", "Freedom", and "The Ancient Ones". The Bhangra beats of "Dust" and Indian-influenced "Rohi" and "Down The Block" possess definite Bollywood similarities. The tracks are mostly vocal and incorporate many instruments including snake charmer, keyboards, drums, bass, guitar, flutes, tumbi, violin, sitar, trombone, sax, and trumpet. "Critical Mass" is a psychtronica-driven, Balkan and Indian-fusion song of electronic excellence. A nice mix of sounds, instruments, and a globally-enveloped set of songs provides a well-balanced and most of all, intriguing collection of singers and rhythms from around the world. With a name like Telepath, you know it's going to be good before you even listen to it! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Bebel Gilberto's 'All In One'

Bebel Gilberto

All In One

Verve

The cool, lounge jazz sounds of a Brazilian night-club are quite evident on Bebel Gilberto's latest release, All In One. Some of the songs are written by Bebel, while others were borrowed from Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Carlinhos Brown, and Bebel's father, Joao Gilberto. The downtempo percussion and atmospheric elements provide a modernized sound that is never overpowering, overproduced, or unnatural. Bebel's organic voice soars nicely along with the percussion and electronic additions. The songs are sung in Portuguese and English. The liner notes include lyrics for each song. A number of female singers to come out of South America have graced the North American stage and airwaves over the years. However, one voice continues to stand out and remain a solid force in the world music scene. You can find all of Bebel's greatest attributes 'all in one' place on All In One. ~ Matthew Forss

NEW!!! Stay Tuned For New Reviews -- Downtempo/Trip-Hop

The world of electronica remains a dominant genre of unique sounds and dynamic rhythms to sooth one's soul, or suit one's desires in almost any capacity. In that regard, I will be bringing a mix of classic and new reviews of downtempo (downbeat) and trip-hop albums of special note for cross-genre fans in world music.

Musically,
Matthew Forss

CD Review: Get Tipsy with 'Tipsy'

Tipsy
Buzzz
Ipecac Recordings

Fans of world music tend to be drawn toward the seemingly exotic or the unusual. In this case, Tipsy (USA) brings us something not only exotic or unusual, but 'otherworldly'. Welcome to the world of atmospheric downtempo music. The closest genre style represented here would be jazz. However, the spacey and electronic nature of the compositions provides the listener with a perfect backdrop for transcendence to another world. Buzzz contains echoing vibraphones, sporadic trumpets and sax, drums, flutes, and keyboard wizardry. A mostly instrumental effort, a Japanese singer, Coppe', lends vocals on a track. This album could very well be the soundtrack for an intergalactic experience, though it is equally well-suited for Earthlings. Fans of downtempo bands like Air, Zero 7, Everything But The Girl, or Action Figure Party should check out the psychedelic-electronica of Tipsy. ~ Matthew Forss