V4YS Ep Review - Vondelpark - NYC Stuff & NYC Bags Ep (R&S Records)

Catching up with some of the great releases from this summer, I have to mention "NYC Stuff & NYC Bags" the second Ep from London-based trio Vondelpark (aka Lewis Rainsbury, Alex Bailey & Matt Law) out lasT month on R&S Records.

Melancholic downtempo atmosphere, hazy vocals, delicate synths and guitar lines, slo-mo broken beats, the 5 tracks of this record include all the right ingredients for a soothing introspective journey.

Many musical references come to my mind. The first song, "Tv", and the short "Outro For Nyc" (my favorite one) remind me of the more ambient works from Broken Social Scene, "Feat. B" has a sweet Sade aftertaste while "Camels" has echoes of sounds from Diesler or Bonobo.
Vondelpark is the name of a famous Amsterdam park. No coincidence I believe, the palce is just too close from the perfect environment to wander to the sound of this remarkable Ep!

Discover it by yourself with a couple of extracts below, "Tv" & "Outro For Nyc" :



Faisant le tri parmi les multiples productions que je n'avais pas eu le temps de temps d'écouter cet été, je me dois de mentionner "NYC Stuff & NYC Bags", excellent second maxi du trio londonien Vondelpark (aka Lewis Rainsbury, Alex Bailey & Matt Law) sorti fin juillet sur le label R&S Records.
Nappes de synthé enveloppantes, lignes de guitare électrique très planantes, vocaux brumeux façon "ambient", broken beats tournant au ralenti, tous ces ingrédients forment la base d'un son downtempo à la fois mélancolique et apaisant.
Les références musicales abondent. Le premier morceau, "Tv", et le court "Outro For Nyc" me font par exemple furieusement penser aux productions les plus abstraites de Broken Social Scene, "Feat. B" a un petit arrière-goût de Sade, alors que "Camels" évoque lui d'autres maitres de l'univers downtempo comme Diesler ou Bonobo. 
Vondelpark c'est le nom d'un célèbre parc au coeur d'Amsterdam. Pas de hasard je pense, ça ressemble trop au cadre idéal pour vagabonder au son de ce magnifique EP!


Découvrez le par vous même avec les deux extraits en streaming ci-dessus (Tv & Outro For Nyc).

Vibes4YourSoul Selection#15- I (always) Need Reggae

August is coming to an end, so let's soak up as much sunny vibes as we can while summer is still there!
So here comes "I (always) Need Reggae" our 15th selection/podcast full of warm & groovy reggae sounds. Gathering old-school classics from Alton Ellis, Marcia Griffiths or Aswad (among others) as well as cool contemporary reggae/dub tracks & edits from the likes of Boozou Bajou, Femi Kuti or The Dynamics, I hope this selection will brighten up your day!

As usual please find below a podcast-format download link, streaming & tracklisting.

If you fancy more great reggae music you may want to check out our first two selections on this musical theme : "I Need Reggae" & "I Need (more) Reggae"

Peace!



Tracklisting :
Aswad - Back To Africa
Alton Ellis - Day Dreaming (5'19'')
Jackie Mittoo - Get Up And Get It (9'00'')
Gregory Isaacs & Dennis Brown - To The Foundation (11'40'')
Marcia Griffiths - My Ambition (17'12'')
Dawn Penn - No, No, No (19'39'')
Femi Kuti - You Better Ask Yourself (Bost & Bim Remix) (23'02'')
Nina Simone - Baltimore (Ex-friendly Refix) (28'27'')
Boozoo Bajou feat. Joe Dukie - Take It Slow (33'32'')
Gentleman - Dem Gone (38'46'')
The Dynamics - Brothers On The Slide (42'31'')
Paul St-Hilaire - Black Moses (46'33'')
Kiddus I - Graduation In Zion (49'58'')



Août touche à sa fin, il est temps de faire le plein de vibes ensoleillées pour affronter les affres de la rentrée. 
Rien de tel pour ça qu'une ration de bon reggae! Voici donc "I (always) Need reggae", qui rassemble des célèbres mélodies old-school d'Alton Ellis, Marcia Griffiths ou Aswad mais aussi plusieurs morceaux ou edits contemporains d'artistes comme Boozou Bajou, Femi Kuti ou The Dynamics symbolisant la vitalité de ce courant musical.
J'espère que ce podcast illuminera votre journée! 
Ci-dessus, download link, streaming et tracklisting.


P.S. : si vous en voulez plus, nos deux précédentes sélections regage/dub "I Need Reggae" & "I Need (more) Reggae" n'attendent que vous!


Peace!

V4YS Ep Review - Radiohead - The King Of Limbs (Remixes)

Earlier this year I reviewed Radiohead latest LP called "The Kings Of Limb" as I had been seduced by its ambitious foray into a wide range of musical spheres.

Thom Yorke's crew is now going one step further wit the recent release of three amazing remixes EP's, supposedly before a full remixes album in September.
Very much into the uk bass/dubstep sound, the band asked some of the most interesting artists belonging to that space to offer their interpretations of several tracks from the original album.
Four Tet, Jacques Greene, Caribou, Pearson Sound (aka Ramadanman) and several others high-profile producers contributed to these great first three EP's, soon-to-be joined by the likes of Sbtrkt or Jamie XX for the end of the series.

Below a streaming of my favorite track, Jacques Greene's splendid remix of "Lotus Flower" :



En début d'année j'avais publié une courte review du dernier album de Radiohead, "The Kings Of Limb", subjugué par l'audace artistique d'un groupe qui n'hésite pas à s'approprier les influences musicales les plus variées pour enrichir leur indie-rock de plus en plus expérimental.
Poussant encore un peu plus loin le curseur, la bande de Thom Yorke, très fan du son bass/dubstep uk du moment, a demandé à plusieurs artistes appartenant à cet univers de livrer leurs interprétations de plusieurs titres de l'album.
Trois excellents maxis sont déjà sortis qui feront à priori partie d'un double album courant septembre. Au menu de ces premiers remixes on retrouve entre autres Four Tet, Jacques Greene, Caribou ou Pearson Sound (aka Ramadanman), avant semble-t-il des titres de Sbtrkt ou Jamie XX.


Ci-dessus un streaming du merveilleux remix de "Lotus Flower" par le décidément très inspiré Jacques Greene déjà auteur cette année de plusieurs maxis remarquables.

V4YS Ep Review - Ahmed Sirour Feat. Michelle Thompson - We Rep Brooklyn

Here is a little underground hip-hop gem that had me groovin' this week.

Echoing a scene from the unforgettable Spike Lee movie "Do The Right Thing", Ahmed Sirour blends spoken-word with fine-tuned jazzy beats to offer us this cool tribute to the many afro-americans entertainers originating from his home-borrough of Brooklyn.

Get it from his bandcamp page!

Streaming below :





Voici une petite perle d'underground hip-hop qui m'a enchanté cette semaine. 
En clin d'oeil à une scène de l'inoubliable film de Spike Lee "Do The Right Thing", Ahmed Sirour mélange spoken-word et beats irrésistiblement jazzy pour offrir ce petit tribute aux nombreux artistes afro-americains originaires, comme lui, de Brooklyn, New-York.


Disponible sur sa page bandcamp, streaming ci-dessus!

Vibes4YourSoul Mixes#12 - Cruisin' (progressive house, electro pop, deep dubstep)

Welcome the 12th episode of our mixes serie! Seat belt fastened, speed limit set at 125/130 bpm, relax and get ready to cruise to progressive house, electro pop and deep dubstep sounds. Gathering mostly 2011 tracks, this mix gathers some of the house/electro producers I particularly feel at the moment Julio Bashmore, Sbtrkt, Jamie XX, Jacques Greene or Ricardo Villalobos. Hope you enjoy it! As usual please find below streaming, download link and full tracklisting. Tracklisting : Gang Colours - Fireworks In Pocket (start) Ricardo Villalobos, Los Updates & Anthony Collins - I Throw Water Into The Lake (4'22'') Julio Bashmore - Bad Apple (9'12'') Smalltown Collective - Mujinga (Original) (14'28'') Phonique & Kiloo - The Passion (Manuel Tur & Dplay Remix)  (18'52'') Luca Lozano - Heaven & Hell (Original Mix) (23'52'') Sbtrkt - Pharoahs (29'16'') Metronomy - The Bay (Erol Alkan Re-Edit) (32'41'') Marlow - I Don't Care About Anything (Being With You) (37'08'') Jacques Greene - Another Girl (41'33'') Jamie XX - Far Nearer (46'37'') Voici Cruisin' le 12ème épisode de notre série de mixes electro ! Pour la plupart sortis en 2011, les titres de ce set oscillent entre progressive house, electro pop et deep dubstep.  Ceinture bouclée, limitateur de vitesse bloqué dans la zone des 125/30bpm, c'est parti pour 1h de trip en compagnie de certains de mes producteurs favoris du moment comme Julio Bashmore, Sbtrkt, Jamie XX, Jacques Greene ou Ricardo Villalobos. Enjoy! Ci-dessus streaming, lien download et tracklisting.

V4YS Ep Review - GW - Absolute

Fancy the downtempo futuristic vibes of Flying Lotus or Dam-Funk?
Then you should probably enjoy listening to GW's (aka George Whalley) first self-produced solo Ep called "Absolute".

A Leeds-based drummer involved in several undergound musical projects, George got the abstract beat virus only a few months ago and quickly decided to spread it around.
Coupling heavy disconstructed beats with dark and cosmic sound atmospheres, his bewitching sound is an invitation to chill out.

Check out by yourself with the soundcloud streaming below or on his bandcamp page !



Vous appréciez le downtempo futuriste d'un Flying Lotus ou d'un Dam-Funk? Alors jetez une oreille (voir deux) au premier maxi auto-produit de GW (aka George Whalley) intitulé "Absolute".
Batteur anglais résidant à Leeds, George participe en parallèle à plusieurs projets musicaux mais ce maxi est entièrement consacré à sa passion récente pour les sonorités "abstract beats".
Associant des atmosphères sonores à la fois sombres et cosmiques à une rythmique subtilement destructurée, ses compositions envoûtantes invitent à la rêverie.
Découvrez par vous-même son univers avec le streaming soundcloud ci-dessus ou directement sur sa page bandcamp!

V4YS Album Review - SBTRKT - SBTRKT (Young Turks Records)

SBTRKT started to make an (unprononceable) acronym for himself in 2010 with several interesting EP's ("2020", "Break Off/Evening Glow"...) oscillating between deep dubstep and innovative bass music. He is now back on the great independant label Young Turks with his first LP self-titled "SBTRKT" which so far is my  favorite new release this summer.

If his previous productions were mostly pieces of instrumental electronic music, the big evolution with this record is the omnipresence of vocals provided by several guest singers like Sampha (who contributes on several tracks) or Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragon, .
Adding a touch of pop to dubstep-influenced beats immediately rings several bells, the louder of them belonging to James Blake who probably is the leading artist in that space. These two definitely share a common playground, but this first SBTRKT album puts more emphasis on melodies than Blake's more demanding "deconstructed" works. Simply said, SBTRKT goes slightly more mainstream but this is in no way pejorative as delicate songs like "Hold On", "Trials Of The Past", "Never Never" or "Pharoahs" all are sweet entry points to a delighfully chaotic musical space. So if you're not necessarily into electro-pop or deep dubstep this record may be a good chance to get on board!

Below streaming of "Pharoahs" and "Hold On" :





L'imprononçable acronyme SBTRKT est  devenu familier pour de nombreux fans d'electro courant 2010 avec la sortie de plusieurs maxis (notamment ("2020" et "Break Off/Evening Glow") qui faisaient la part belle à un deep dubstep raffiné, symbole d'une "bass music" Uk en plein essor et dont je ne cesse de vanter les mérites sur le blog. 
Le jeune producteur anglais revient avec un premier album, simplement titré "SBTRKT", qui sort sur l'excellent label indépendant Young Turks. C'est sans aucun doute mon coup de coeur de l'été.
Si ses premières productions étaient principalement des instrumentaux electros, ce disque marque une nette évolution puisque les vocaux distillés par plusieurs guests comme le chanteur anglais Sampha, (qui pose sa voix soulful sur plusieurs titres), ou la chanteuse japonaise  Yukimi Nagano du groupe Little Dragon, y sont omniprésents.
Mélanger des influences pops à des rythmiques two-step/dubstep n'est pas une révolution. Le nom de James Blake vient par exemple immédiatement à l'esprit lorsqu'on évoque ce type de sonorités. Néanmoins si l'album
de SBTRKT appartient au même univers il met beaucoup plus l'accent sur l'aspect mélodique des morceaux. Il est donc sans doute plus accessible (attention pas de méprise, je ne veux en aucun cas dire "commercial") que les productions destructurées assez éxigeantes de Blake. Ainsi des titres harmonieux comme  "Hold On", "Trials Of The Past", "Never Never" ou "Pharoahs" me semblent de bons points d'entrée pour quiconque est peu familier de ce courant musical.
Ci-dessus des extraits streaming de "Pharoahs" et "Hold On".

V4YS EP Review - Jesse Futerman - Super Basement Ep (Jus Like Music Records)

Here is another jazzy hip-hop gem coming from Canada!

A few weeks ago we mentionned a young hip-hop band from Montreal, Ruckus Fo-Tet & Milla Thyme, following their first self-produced album. This time around the great beats come from Toronto, hometown of a young beatmaker named Jesse Futerman who is releasing "Super Basement" his first formal Ep on Jus Like Music Records.

As far as I know Jesse is not even 20 years-old but has been developping his sampling and beatmaking skills since he was 15! Also playing some piano and trumpet he's been surrounded by jazzy vibes since he was a kid.
A fan of artists/bands like Jose James, Flying Lotus, Insight or Build An Ark, it's therefore no surprise that his sampling universe is heavily tilted towards great Jazz & Funk sounds.
This debut Ep gathers 6 amazing tracks, all carrying groovy drum lines surrounded by sweet & hazy piano, horns and vocals samples. Without a doubt one of the best experimental hip-hop records I've been listening to recently! The good news is you can download it for free on his bandcamp page!

Streaming below :


Il y a quelques semaines je mentionnais la sortie du très bon premier album de Ruckus Fo-Tet & Milla Thyme, jeune groupe de Montréal jouant un hip-hop "live" résolument jazzy. Toujours au Canada, toujours dans la sphère hip-hop/beats mais un peu plus à l'est, du côté de Toronto, c'est au tour du jeune beatmaker Jesse Futerman de sortir un premier Ep remarquable intitulé "Super Basement" sur le label indépendant Jus Like Music Records.
Autant que je sache Jesse n'a pas 20 ans mais produit beats et loops depuis l'âge de 15 ans! Bercé depuis sa plus tendre enfance par les sonorités jazz dont raffolent ses parents, jouant aussi du piano et de la trompette, fan d'artistes comme Jose James, Flying Lotus, Insight or Build An Ark,  il n'est dès lors pas surprenant que son terrain de sample favori soit l'univers Jazz & Funk. 
Les 6 titres que contient ce premier maxi regorgent donc de loops de batterie particulièrement groovy, tous enveloppés d'une ribambelle de samples planants de piano, cuivres ou de soulful vocals. Le tout forme l'un des meilleurs disques d'experimental hip-hop que j'ai entendu ces derniers mois! La bonne nouvelle est que vous pouvez le downloader gratuitement sur la page bandcamp de Jesse!


Ci-dessus un streaming du maxi.

V4YS Concert Review - Fat Freddy's Drop - Live At Le Trianon - Paris, 060711

Depuis la sortie de leur premier album "Based On A True Story" en 2005, les néo-zélandais de Fat Freddy's Drop sont devenus un groupe référence gràce à leur son novateur à la frontière des univers reggae, dub, soul et techno.

Emmené par Dj Fitchie et l'incroyable chanteur Joe Dukie, le combo prend toute sa dimension sur scène ou il a l'habitude de construire et de tester ses multiples créations.
De passage hier soir à Paris ils ont une fois encore démontré toute l'étendue de leur talent en offrant un concert incroyable qui a tout simplement retourné le Trianon. Chaque morceau fut un réel voyage ou le groupe, tel un bon Dj, a fait passer son public par des montées extatiques tout en ménageant des plages plus cérébrales ou sa rythmique electro-dub fait merveille. Ajoutez à ça une énergie débordante (quel trio de cuivres!), une joie communicative et l'espace suffisant pour que chacun des musiciens puisse s'exprimer à travers des solos ravageurs et vous obtenez un show enthousiasmant.
A ne manquer sous aucun prétexte si vous avez l'occasion de les croiser!
Ci-dessous petit extrait vidéo :

V4YS Ep Review - Michael Kiwanuka - Tell Me A Tale Ep (Communion Records)

Fancy the good quality "retro-soul" sounds that keep spreading around recently?
Fancy the likes of Mayer Hawthorne, Lee Fields, Aloe Blacc, Nicole Willis, Menahan Street Band, Alice Russel and so forth?  Well you will surely love Michael Kiwanuka's first Ep called "Tell Me A Tale", out now on Communion Records.
In only three tracks, the London-based musician demonstrates a stunning songwriting ability as well as a remarkable singing talent. With its exquisite folky touch, his music brilliantly recalls the golden age of Soul. Give it a few listens, close your eyes, I'm sure you'll also lose sense of time and start imagine the young Michael introducing an Otis Redding show.
Below streaming of the single "Tell Me A Tale" as well as a cool acoustic "cab" session :




In need of more retro-soul sounds from contemporary artists? 
check out "Nu-School" our recent podcast focusing on this musical scene!


Vous appreciez la vague "retro-soul" de qualité qui prend de l'ampleur depuis deux ou trois ans? Vous aimez les Mayer Hawthorne, Lee Fields, Aloe Blacc, Nicole Willis, Menahan Street Band, Alice Russel et consorts? Il y a alors de fortes chances que vous succombiez au talent de Michael Kiwanuka qui vient de sortir un premier maxi à tomber sur "Communion Records". 
Avec ce "Tell Me A Tale Ep" on découvre à la fois un remarquable talent d'écriture mais aussi une voix sublime. Michael Kiwanuka nous ramène en fait assez loin en arrière, dans les années 60, ou sa soul teintée de sonorités folk n'aurait à coup sur pas dépareillé. Essayez-donc vous-mêmes, après quelques écoutes vous n'aurez sans doute pas de mal à l'imaginer partageant une scène avec un Otis Redding...
Ci-dessus le single "Tell Me A Tale" ainsi qu'un bon set acoustique enregistré dans un taxi!


Dans ce style "retro-soul", n'hésitez pas à jeter une oreille sur notre récente sélection "Nu-School", toute entière consacrée à ce thème.

V4YS Selection#14 - easing off (downtempo/abstract beats/trip hop)

This 14th selection of our podcasts/selections focuses on deep slo-mo abstract beats.

You'll find recent productions from a bunch of remarkable underground artists like Submotion Orchestra, James Blake, Actress or Toro Y Moi.

Hopefully they'll have you slow down, relax and ease off !



Tracklisting, downloadable podcast format and track by track streaming below :





Tracklisting :
Quest - Smooth Skin
Toro Y Moi - Talamak
Thieves Like Us - Never Known Love
Teebs - Wind Loop
Jam Da Silva - Dia Santo
Yonderboy - Pink Solidism (Riders On the Storm from The Doors cover)
Submotion Orechstra - Jam1
The Weeknd - What You Need
James Blake - What Was It You Said About Luck
Actress - Harrier Attk
Machine Drum - Flud
Deerhunter - Helicopter

V4YS EP Review - Gang Colours - In Your Gut Like A Knife Ep (Brownswood Recordings)

After having listened to some promessing extracts a while ago, I was so eagerly waiting the release of Southampton-based Gang Colours (aka Will Ozanne)'s first EP that I actually missed it when it finally came out in early June on the always excellent Brownswood Recordings label.
Anyway, better late than never to mention this brilliant EP gathering 4 tracks symbolic of the creativity of the current Uk electro scene.
"In Your Gut Like A Knife" has house, dubstep and abstract beats answering each other in a subtle deluge of unexpected sounds and samples. In the wake of artists like Mount Kimbie, Gold Panda, or even Four Tet, Gang Colours contributes another brick to a Uk bass-culture building that keeps adding new storeys. The sky is the limit they say. Are they so sure?
Below a quick sampler of the EP :



Après avoir entendu de ci de là ces derniers mois quelques bribes de titres du jeune producteur anglais de Southampton Gang Colours (aka Will Ozanne), j'attendais impatiemment son premier maxi. Tellement impatiemment que j'ai loupé en début de mois sa sortie sur le toujours excellent label Brownswood Recordings. 
Quoi qu'il en soit mieux vaut tard que jamais pour souligner la qualité de "In Your Gut Like A Knife" qui symbolise à merveille la créativité sans borne de l'actuelle scène electro britannique. Dialogue déroutant entre rythmes house, dubstep ou abstract beats, ce maxi essaime aussi une multitude de sonorités et de samples autant dépaysant qu'inattendus. 
Dans le sillage d'artistes comme Mount Kimbie, Gold Panda voir Four Tet, Gang Colours apporte à son tour une jolie pierre à un édifice de la "Uk bass-culture" qui ne cesse de grandir! 
Ci-dessus un sampler du maxi.

V4YS Special Selection - Peace Go With You, Brother Gil Scott-Heron

Alongside Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye or John Coltrane, Gil Scott-Heron is part of this small circle of unforgettable artists whose music and spirit are with me all the time, wherever I go, whatever I do.
And always will be.

If I cannot recommend you more to listen to each and every of his album to fully grasp the extent of his genius, I nevertheless wanted to propose a selection of some of my favorite Gil songs to those of you who are not familiar enough with his work.
So here comes "Peace Go With You, Brother Gil Scott-Heron", our modest tribute to this immense artist who sadly just passed away.

From tracks ferociously denouncing societal, economical and political issues to reflections about the struggle of the human kind in its fight against addictions to beautiful poetic songs full of love and hope, you'll find in this podcast some of the various faces of this fundamental artist.
Peace Go With You, Brother Gil!

Please find below the streaming of our selection (in two parts) as well as podcast and track-by-track format download links here (part1 / part2).

Part1 :


Part2 :




Tracklisting (with links to each song lyrics which are such an important part of his legacy) :

Part1:
We Almost Lost Detroit (probably my favorite Gil's song, written in 1977 in reference of a nuclear power plant incident that happened in 1966 in Detroit, the lyrics were (sadly) particularly visionaries...)
A Lovely Day (5' 10'')
Song For Bobby Smith (8' 33'')
I'll Call It Morning (13' 06'')
The Other Side, Pt.I (16' 41'')
Angel Dust (21' 58'')
Angola, Louisiana (26' 09'')
Work For Peace (31' 38'')
Whitey On The Moon (39' 04'')
Winter In America (solo version) (40' 31'')
Your Daddy Loves You (46' 47'')
Part2:
Lady Day And John Coltrane
Home Is Where The Hatred Is (3'33'')
Johannesburg (6' 49'')
The Bottle (live) (11' 24'')
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (24' 47'')
"B" Movie (long version) (27'42'')
You Could Be My Brother (39' 48'')


And just for the pleasure, some of my favorite Gil's quotes (actually still very much topical) :

From "Work For Peace" :
"The Military and the Monetary, get together whenever they think its necessary,
they turn our brothers and sisters into mercenaries, they are turning the planet into a cemetery.
The Military and the Monetary, use the media as intermediaries,
they are determined to keep the citizens secondary, they make so many decisions that are arbitrary."

From "B Movie" (written following R Reagan election in 1980, sadly still very much topical isn'it?) :
"As Wall Street goes, so goes the nation. And here's a look at the closing numbers: racism's up, human rights are down, peace is shaky, war items are hot. The House claims all ties. Jobs are down, money is scarce, and common sense is at an all-time low on heavy trading. Movies were looking better than ever, and now no one is looking, because we're starring in a "B" movie."

From "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" :
"The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat.
The revolution will not be televised"

From "I'll Call It Morning" :
"Why should I survive on sadness?
And tell myself I got to be alone
Why should I subscribe to this world's madness?
Knowing that I've got to live on
Yeah I think I'll call it morning 
From now on"

From "Lady Day and John Coltrane" (in reference to Billie Holliday and Coltrane, a tribute on the healing power of Music and Art in general) :
"Ever feel kinda down and out, you don't know just what to do--
Livin' all of your days in darkness let the sun shine through--
Ever feel that somehow, somewhere, you've lost your way--
And if you don't get help quick you won't make it through the day--
Could you call on Lady Day, Could you call on John Coltrane
Now ‘cause they'll, they'll wash your troubles, your troubles, your troubles
Your troubles away!"

V4YS EP Review - Floating Points & Fatima - Follow You Ep (Eglo Records)

Ever since the release of his first EPs in 2009 Floating Points (aka Sam Shepard ) has become one of my favorite deep house producer.
He started collaborating with singer Fatima on his other main project, called "Floating Points Ensemble", which blends his deep electro vibes with an orchestra featuring a full string section. After a great EP in 2010, the Ensemble should release a first LP should soon on Ninjatune.
While at it, he also worked on a Floating Points Ep with the swedish diva and here comes the "Follow You Ep", out recently on his own label Eglo records.
Let's say it right away, while quite different this Ep is as good as the previous "Love Me Like This" and "Vacuum" EP's that I highly recommend if you have missed them.
The first two tracks "Cinammon" and "Mind" carry a delicious JayDill-esque/Badu flava with groovy beats, warm keyboards and nusoul-like vocals. Then comes "Innervisions", a downtempo song where Fatima takes centerstage with a throbbing spiritual lyrical flow. Finally, "Red Light", my favorite of the four, a splendid deep house cut reminiscent of early Saint-Germain productions, where Rhodes-inspired synths answer deep housy beats forming a perfect frame for Fatima's soulful words.
In brief : another brilliant Floating Points that deserve all your attention!

Below a streaming of "red Lights" and "mind", have your fair share of deepness!

V4YS Concert Review - Chris Dave & Friends - Live At New Morning, 110611

Chris Dave - Photo Vincent B.

Après le concert mémorable qu'il a livré il y a environ un mois avec ses complices du Robert Glasper Experiment, l'infatigable batteur Chris Dave est repassé samedi soir par le New Morning pour son premier concert parisien en tant que tête d'affiche.

Intitulé "Chris Dave & Friends" la soirée a réservé de très jolies surprises étant donné le pédigré des "friends" en question...

Pino Palladino - Photo Vincent B.

Depuis le bassiste Pino Palladino, qui enregistre et accompagne sur scène les plus grands depuis plus de 30 ans, jusqu'au guitariste Tim Stewart et au saxophoniste Kebbi Williams, le plateau était sans nul doute au niveau de l'immense talent du batteur.


Après une première partie très free-jazz d'une virtuosité rare, c'est de manière incrédule que l'on a écouté "Daddy" Dave nous demander (bien inutilement) de l'indulgence car c'était en fait la première fois que le quatuor jouait ensemble!

Nous n'avions pourtant encore rien vu.

Kebbi Williams - photo Vincent B.

En mode improvisation totale, le second set a donné lieu à une avalanche de covers incroyables de D'Angelo sauce Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Jay Dilla ou encore Fela Kuti ont servi de sources d'inspiration aux quatre musiciens déchainés.

Le quatuor doit à priori bientôt se réunir en studio pour enregistrer un album, je n'ose imaginer ce que ça va pouvoir donner s'ils ont un peu de temps pour vraiment répéter ensemble!

Chris Dave - photo Vincent B.

Ci-dessous petits extraits vidéos avec deux jams inspirés par Fela Kuti puis par D'Angelo version Jimi Hendrix :






Less than a month after the breathtaking concert he gave with his mates from the Robert Glasper Experiment, tireless drummer Chris Dave was back at the New Morning this saturday for his first parisian show as headliner. 
Simply titled "Chris Dave & Friends" the evening was once again full of pleasant musical discoveries which will not be totally surprising to those who are familiar with the background of the "friends" in question. From legendary bassist Pino Palladino, who has recorded and played with some of the greatest artists around, to guitarist Tim Stewart and sax player Kebbi Williams, the trio was definitely up to the drummer's talent.
After a mind-blowing first part dedicated to some free-jazz jams, "Daddy" Dave had the audience scratch his head in disbelief when he announced that the quatuor had never played together before....This was all the more stunning considering the second set we experienced subsequently !
In full impro mode, the band offered several astonishing covers inspired by themes from the likes of D'Angelo, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Jay Dilla or Fela Kuti. The crew is supposed to spend some studio time together later this year to record an album, I just can't imagine what they'll be capable of!


Please find above small video extracts of the concert, with jams inspired by Fela Kuti and D'Angelo/Jimi Hendrix.