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Flexitones - Joyrider (Backroom Beats/Twisted)
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psyreviews
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Nov 1, 2005 14:01
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Flexitones
Joyrider
Twisted / Backroom Beats (UK)
What’s perhaps most significant with this collaboration between Merv Pepler and Will White (respectively halves of Eat Static and The Propellerheads) is that it marks the return of Twisted records. Did you think they’d finished up? Hah. Foolish: check the interview with Twisted at http://www.chaishop.com/lasso/content.lasso?id=1519.
And so what’s this album about then? Much more than the sum of its parts, it sounds like a more psychedelic and restrained Propellerheads. If you’re expecting a deep, chilled journey through psy-chillage, then you’re perhaps best looking elsewhere; this is best described as lazy, smooth funk with a cracking psychedelic edge.
Drop Of A Dime opens up with an initially dubious wailing diva, before dropping into a deep, smooth funk pattern that sets your mind at ease. Joyrider confirms the quality here – it’s incredibly tight proto-funk, with of Merv’s trademark cider-driven acidlines buzzing about in the back.
Tequila Sunrise and Café Spring lift us into a defiantly rare zone of quality music – it’s breathy, solid chillage, with a lazy funktified feel that harps back to a holiday you never had, with a Swedish girl who never existed, sipping drinks that were never invented in sunglasses you could never afford.
Heavenly and A Little Love feature female vocals; sounding at times like a soulful Michelle Adamson, the quality remains high and it reminds me of a more late-night James Taylor Quartet. They also ably take on the 70s cop show music, Transplant My Head being something the Beastie Boys would beg to be associated with.
Deviant scratchouts Lips On The Bottle, Bring Me Some Reefers, sound like a demented Coldcut, while Latino Express sounds like a Blue Note rare groove compilation from the future, with a demented jazz intricacy that’s reminiscent of latter Shpongle.
The Lost Frontier sounds like the music that plays 24/7 in Merv’s static-eaten brain whether he’s asleep or awake, and finally the phuture-raga-phunk of Roaring Lion is a corker. One of those grooves that makes you close your eyes slightly, and nod approvingly at your speakers, before turning it up and starting it out again.
A solid end to a remarkably solid (and solidly remarkable) album. What's key here, I'd say, is the downright universal accessabililty of this record: your mum will like it, all your mates will like it, and even my brother likes it. And he hardly likes anything. But be careful, folks, not to equate "accessible" with "shit" -- there's depth and an overall quality here that just makes it incredibly listenable.
Not what we were expecting, but that’s a good thing; and the life and energy in this original album should mean it maintains rotation for some time yet.
8
1. Drop of a dime
2. Joyrider
3. Chinese burn
4. Cafe Spring
5. Heavenly
6. Transplant my head
7. Lips on the bottle
8. Latino Express
9. Bring me some reefers
10. Tequila sunrise
11. A little love
12. The lost frontier
13. Roaring lion
http://www.psyreviews.com |
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blueOrb
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
100
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Posted : Nov 6, 2005 20:30
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PKS
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
75
Posts :
490
Posted : Nov 7, 2005 10:21
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The strange thing with this album is that it was supposed to be released spring 2004, and promo copies were actually sent out. Now, one and a half year later, it still isn't very available. Anyway, I wrote this review May 2004. The review is also published in Spanish language in the TranceIt magazine in Mexico:
Backroom Beat Recordings keeps pushing out exciting chill releases. It is the chilled side label of Twisted Records. Not long after the experimental Hi-Fi Companions album with Merve Pepler and Steve Joliffe, we now get another interesting collaboration between Merv Pepler (Eat Static) and Will White, most known as The Propellerheads! Together they call themselves Flexitones. In the last years, Merv has shown that he likes to try out many different styles of music, and he sure does that in this album too.
Flexitones "Joyrider" Backroom Beat Recordings 2004 (BBEAT007CD)
1. Drop Of A Dime
2. Joyrider
3. Chinese Burn
4. Café Spring
5. Heavenly
6. Transplant My Head
7. Lips On The Bottle
8. Latino Express
9. Bring Me Some Reefers
10. Tequila Sunrise
11. A Little Love
12. The Lost Frontier
13. Roaring Lion
The first track is a really jazzy track, with some voice samples, relaxing bass, trumpet, organ and several other instruments. A very happy track, perfect for relaxing in the summer sun or in a coffee shop. Pure relaxing lounge music. Track 2 is totally funky track. A happy track with jazz and some sort of disco influences. The beats sound pretty much like big beat and some of the electronic sounds remind me a lot of Eat Static. They have also put in some funny samples of a police car etc. Track 3 starts with vinyl scratching, before we get some dubby big beat rhythms. Trip hop with tons of variation all the way through. Trumpet, rap vocals, vinyl scratching, organ and a lot of other happy sounds and melodies. Track 4 slows down with more laid back dubby beats. Very relaxing. We get some vinyl scratching in this one too. One of the most beautiful relaxed tracks on this album, but track 5 is the definitely nicest track we get here. This has beautiful female vocals and a very relaxing jazzy vibe. My favourite track on this album. An organic track, far away from psychedelic, but it’s really nice with some down to earth music now and then too. After all, we can’t float in space all the time…
Track 6 is a more intense big beat track. This one sounds like some of the experimental stuff Eat Static has produced lately. Funky, drifting beats, a beautiful flute and several funny electronic sounds and samples. Variation all the way. Track 7 is a short track lasting just for a couple of minutes. This one has a ton of samples mixed together in a dubby vibe, full of scratching. Experimental hip hop for sure. Track 8 brings us back to a very jazzy vibe again. Sort of a latino vibe mixed with a jazzy lounge groove. Definitely far away from the psychedelic chill most psy people are used to, but it doesn’t get boring because of all the variation and all the funny twists. Track 9 is another short track lasting for about a minute. This one has some lazy hip hop beats and some funny voice samples and sounds. Track 10 is another favourite on this album. Very relaxed latino beats and some flute that reminds me a little bit of Angel Tears and Kaya Project etc. We also get some funky jazz vibes in this one too. A perfect track for chilling out in the sun. Track 11 slows more down to a slow trip hop track with that nice female vocal again. Slow dubby beats, some beautiful violin and relaxed vocals. Track 12 starts with some really weird sounds. It sounds like some whistling and we get some twisted electronic sounds. This continues and it sounds really experimental. Definitely the weirdest track on this album. They finish this album with a funky reggae sound. We get a very happy Jamaican vibe, with dubby beats, reggae vocals and funny melodies. Nice finish on one of the most experimental albums I have heard.
Those who enjoy the Hi-Hi Companions album will probably like this one too. You don’t get any psychedelic chill here, but tons of variation, many different music styles and a happy summer vibe all the way through. So be open minded and check it out!
PKS
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 CHILL TRIBE
CTRCD01 QUALITY RELAXATION
CTRCD02 RELAXED JOURNEYS
CTRCD03 EAR PLEASURE
CTRCD04 WOMBATMUSIC - Shameful Silence
CTRCD05 POLYPLOID - Grow Your Own
CTRCD06 IAN ION - Gringo Locomotion
CTRCD07 SUNKINGS - Before We Die |
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....wonder why this was delayed for such a long time