Talen (featuring Sizzla): The Vibes-A Sizzla Tale
From: Kingston Book [Mouthwatering Records, 2009]

After the positive Fela! experience, I’m trying to not ignore promo emails so much. I’m glad; otherwise I would have missed out on this fine jam – a wonderfully successful collaboration between Winterthur, Switzerland based production/DJ crew Talen Bass System and Dancehall legends Sizzla and Cutty Ranks.

When I read “Switzerland” and “Sizzla” in the same sentence, my curiosity was peaked. I know absolutely nothing about the Swiss music scene so exploring the mp3 links seemed like a good learning opportunity. Indeed. The Vibes-A Sizzla Tale is quite literally a “tale”. Sizzla uses his time on the mic to do some story telling, and, it’s a good read- a sort of Reggae how-to coming-up success story all boiling down to… don’t fight the vibes. And, Talen do well providing some deep undeniable vibes. Massive kick, plenty of deep (almost acid’y) synth, and a rocking bass line. I think Talen themselves nail it when they describe their tune:

A mighty, yet playful, beat… Rock’n'Roll in a Dancehall costume, or rather vice-versa? Doesn’t matter – as long as the vibe is right.

Squarepusher:  Don’t Go Plastic, Ill Descent and Shin Triad
From: Music is Rotted One Note [Warp, 1998]

Before I dive into the subject matter of this week’s post, I would like to personally thank Junior and Chuck for making the switch over to Wordpress without any major issues occurring.   I apologize that I have been missing in action lately, but life has been smacking me around like a red-headed step child.  I hope to get my bearings and post on a more regular basis, but I am unable to commit to any sort of schedule at this point.  Thanks go out to the rest of the crew for bringing the serious funk while I was gone.  Here’s to continuing the legacy of Ear Fuzz on Wordpress.

Today’s post focuses on electro-jazz, a style of music that juxtaposes elements of jazz fusion, funk and soul.  In the late 90’s, electronic acts and jazz musicians began marching to the same drummer, as numerous like-minded acts started  releasing records all over the globe.  I know the name electro-jazz or nu-jazz makes a lot of people cringe, but aside from a few big names like St. Germain and Jazzanova, there is an abundance of great stuff to be found in this genre.

One of my first discoveries of Electro-jazz was the album Music is Rotted One Note by UK electronic act Squarepusher.   This  is essentially the brainchild of Tom Jenkinson who combined vintage  samplers and sequencers with organic intrumentation to achieve a fascinating reinterpretation of the sound Miles Davis mastered on Bitches Brew.  Even though I was merely a jazz novice when I first discovered this record, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Squarepusher and most of the 70’s fusion like Miles, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc.  The entire album is not in the jazz-fusion vein however, as it incorporates musique concrete, ambient electronic passages and aural  transmissions from another world.

I am featuring three songs from the album that encapsulate the feel of it as a whole, with two of them sounding like they could have easily been on any Miles Davis album from the fusion era.  Keep in mind that the only instruments used on this record are sequencers, synthesizers, percussion and rhodes piano.

The second track on the record “Don’t Go Plastic” starts out with cymbal splashes and the sound of rhodes piano bubbling under the surface like molten lava.  It slowly builds with percussion that seems to be spliced from different takes, while the rhodes glides through the song like it has wings.  At about the two minute mark, their is a percussive break that is seemingly computer-generated, and then a sinister piano melody plays for a couple bars.  After a brief but impressive drum solo,  a solo kicks in that is like no other.  It is hard to tell whether this solo was achieved through the various sequencers and pedals that are the usual M.O. for Squarepusher, but it sounds to me like a piano is being played underwater while the rest of the band is riding the groove.

“Ill Descent” captures the essence of ambient rock bands like Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze while simultaneously managing to experiment with textures and sound that pull from jazz and avant garde music.  If I had thought of this song when I was compiling my triumvirate of space music comps, it would have fit like a glove.

The last track is a short burst of creative energy that opens with scattershot drumming and electronic sound waves only to switch gears completely into a cacophonous, funky slab of goodness that is just too good to pass up.  The rumbling bassline from Digital Underground’s classic hip-hop track “The Humpty Dance” is the most obvious influence on this track.

This concludes my overview of Squarepusher’s 1998 classic Music For Rotted One Note.  I welcome any comments about other Electro-jazz bands that you guys are digging right now.

Break ‘N Spin: Break ‘N Spin [Singh Records, 1984]

This track is definitely hitting the spot in the midst of busy muggy summer; enough bounce to get you up, and, enough chill to keep you steady. 1984… who knew it could be this good?… apparently RealFreshBlog (thanks for posting!).

[[Does anyone else find the intro similar to the intro for the ubiquitous Jamie Foxx/T-Pain jam Blame It?]]

From what I can find on the web, “Break ‘N Spin” appears to be a one-off pseudonym for the very interesting funky and prolific Edwin Birdsong. Having just researched Edwin Birdsong, I’m somewhat surprised that this track was my introduction to the man. Long established since the 70’s, he’s worked and collaborated with the likes of Roy Ayers and Stevie Wonder. And, he’s still out there (as seen on his MySpace).

However, if you’re like me and this is the first time you’ve heard the name Edwin Birdsong, it’s very likely this is not the first time you’ve heard his work:

- Cola Bottle Baby, the lead track from his 1979 S/T album was sampled by Daft Punk in Harder Better Faster Stronger

- Rapper Dapper Snapper, his 1980 12″ release was sampled by De La Soul in Me Myself and I

Two classics both underpinned with Birdsong funk.

And, just to keep the party going, here is a slightly less old-school jam from ‘92.

Jump: Funkatarium [Dark Records, 1992]

Despite the recession and prudent financial sense, I picked both up on vinyl. So, if you are in the NYC area and looking for a public forum to share your favorite records, I invite you to join myself and friends at our monthly (next meeting: 8/10) Monday Night Vinyl Club “bring your own vinyl” collaborative DJ party. 2nd mondays monthly at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn. FREE