4Play

Aug. 9, 2006

Chemist, indeed - the former Jurassic 5 member and DJ proves worthy of his name on this, his debut solo disc, by blending sounds for the sake of the sounds themselves, as opposed to merely making an attempt at commercial club success.  Taking his hip-hop roots as a base, CC pulls right from the solid ground on this one, poring carefully through his samples to find the most appropriate ingredients and mixes for each song.  That attention to detail is what helps set him apart, as is his reluctance to hit the scratching as often as most DJs do - when he finally does throw it in, it’s refreshing, not rote.  There’s even a track that steps out of the clubs and almost into the concert arena - namely “The Garden,” which blends thick production with layers of instrumental tracks and some standout strings; another track of note is”Storm,” which features Mr. Lif and Edan.  If the audience isn’t listening to this one, then there’s something wrong with the audience.

Who hasn’t heard Fatboy Slim’s work?  Even if you’re not a frequent visitor to the dance floor, chances are you’ve heard Slim’s songs on the radio, on MTV, or even (cough cough) in an elevator somewhere, so wide-reaching and accessible is his music.  Included here are... well, yeah, the greatest of Slim, in actuality, just like the album title says.  You’ll find both the faves (“Praise You,” “The Rockafeller Skank”) and the critics’ choices (“Wonderful Night,” “Everybody Loves a Carnival”), plus two of his biggest remixes, Cornershop’s wackily appealing “Brimful of Asha” and Groove Armada’s “I See You Baby.”  As if that all wasn’t enough, you’ll also find two brand new songs here, namely “Champion Sound” and “That Old Pair of Jeans,” the first throwing a little rap into the mix, and the second going old-school-cool with some retro-sounding samples and vocal contributions from Lateef.  It’s a collection that definitely lives up to what the artist has done to date.

A multi-talented performer who both sings and plays the guitar, piano, and violin - has been under the radar for a long time now, and undeservedly so.  When Germano first entered the scene, she was much like other female singer-songwriters, stepping right into the typical role of female-singer-with-issues (think Tori Amos or Cat Power);  but she’s grown by leaps and bounds since then, and has become a gently accomplished musician who has equal skill instrumentally and at translating her thoughtful lyrics into affecting songs.  Singing in often hushed tones, her recordings, including this one, make the listener nearly lean in to hear better, whether it’s to hear a quiet lullaby (“Into Oblivion”), a Jeff-Buckley tribute song (“Except for the Ghosts,”) the regretful “Too Much Space,” or the airy “Wire.”  Her low-key approach will draw you in, and the much-evolved emotional content will likely make you stay longer in order to listen more.

Serving as Sabbah’s follow-up to his much-celebrated La Kahena album, this set takes 11 of Sabbah’s tracks and throws them to a whole host of producers and turntablists to turn things up several bright notches. You might not recognize some of the names, as many of these talents are better known worldwide than stateside, but that won’t matter once you get an earful of the sonic success going on here.  All of the remixers were personally chosen by Sabbah, and his affection for their work is obviously returned tenfold on tracks like “Im Ninalou: The Groovio Deep End Remix” as reinterpreted by Gaurav Raina (of Midival Punditz); “Toura Toura: The Nav Deep Remix,” courtesy of Sandeep Kumar; and the snazzy “Madh Assalhiim: The Zen Breaks Remix” as skillfully translated by Japanese Zen Dub DJ Makyo.  Even Sabbah’s son, Elijah Opium, joins the party with his take on “Sadats: Les Filles de Marrakech Remix,” rounding out the disc perfectly.