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: Fractal Cat's 'The Eye In The Dawn'

Fractal Cat
The Eye In The Dawn
Self-Release

Fractal Cat is a Baltimore-based band that uses psychedelic melodies and rock structures with angelic male vocals to create a spacious, trippy, and rocked-out recording of pure musical pleasure. The poetic lyrics and extended rock outros are characteristics of jam music from the 1960’s and 70’s. However, you better shed your bell-bottoms and corduroy, because these guys are here in the present era. The real charm of the music is the vocal arrangements by Keith Jones and Miles Gannett. There are groovy bass lines, synth embellishments, sparkling harp sounds, and ambulating guitars. “Home” contains soft and loud moments, but the vocals are never over-used or beyond the natural vocal ranges. The end of the song contains a wicked bass, guitar, and percussion outro. “Foxfire” is an up-tempo song with more electric guitar spunk than the previous track. “Some Angel” opens with a dreamy harp and acoustic guitar that melds into a percussion-rich, folksy ballad seemingly coming out of the 1970’s pop scene. The short song is one of the best songs composed in any genre or era—bar none. The harp medley mid-song is a great homage to throwback folk music. “Autumnal Days” contains a beautiful instrumental set-up with choppy guitars, great horn sounds, and a jaunty rhythm with vocals akin to The Gufs. In a similar manner, “Little By Little” contains great guitar riffs, vocals, and more structured chorus with guitar work resembling Oasis. The psychedelic blurbs and electronic tonal qualities are evident on “Nightshade” and “The Calling.” These two tracks could be slightly influenced by the electronic band, Air. At any rate, fans of contemporary psychedelic rock and pop with some electronic and folk wanderings should check out Fractal Cat today! Get Fractal(led)—I did! ~ Matthew Forss  

CD Review: DJ Sun's 'One Hundred'

DJ Sun
One Hundred
Self-Release

Houston, Texas-based DJ and music aficionado, DJ Sun, releases a hit list of nineteen exciting tracks that span the globe. The music is highly danceable, but not too fast relaxation is out of the question. The trippy grooves and electronic samples with lively vocals are adventurous and captivating. There are loads of instrumental embellishments from horns to harps and everything in-between. The sonic structures reflect a global fusion of sorts that are great for the dance hall or bedroom. The deep sounds and sketchy scratches are somewhat reminiscent of Royskopp. This music is richly-textured from global wanderings and unique, down-tempo lounge sounds. Anyone with an interest in electronic music, groove music, down-tempo, hip-hop instrumentals, and soul-funk will love DJ Sun. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Domenico's 'Cine Prive'

Domenico
Cine Prive
Plug Research

Domenico's Brazilian and Italian heritage shine through on the contemporary and easy listening release, Cine Prive (Private Cinema). The sonic textures are rhythmic, nostalgic, bossa nova-inspired, and electronic without any worries of where the music can go. The music is littered with friendly little nuances that are blurby, dance-ready, trippy, and avant-garde to the hilt. The minimalist percussion and instrumentation is not a deterrent, as the vocals set the stage for engaging tracks and happy melodies that possess inner and outer beauty. The almost absurdist embellishments are relatively cohesive and pleasant throughout. This is one of the most exciting albums from Brazil I have ever come across. Own it today. Your ears will thank you. ~ Matthew Forss