|
Review: Jack Foley
IT'S a bold move for any musical collective to call an album
Elevator Music, particularly as the term is used in quite
derogatory terms when levelled at artists such as Moby (unfairly,
to my mind) - yet this is what dance-based threesome, Trüby
Trio have decided to do.
It almost dares the listener to level such accusations at it,
before pulling a neat trick and pulling the carpet right out from
under them.
Elevator Music is not your typical dance album, in that
it is not composed of one particular style - just when you think
you have it nailed down, it changes direction.
Hence, there are elements of Latin rhythm, drum 'n' bass, house
and jazz - all combining to make the album something of a headspinning
experience; but one which forces you to sit up and take notice.
Trüby Trio was formed in 1997, when Rainer Trüby, the
head guy at Compost Records, teamed up with the Fauna Flash/Voom:Voom
duo, Roland Appel and Christian Prommer.
Since then, they have collaborated with the likes of Nitin Sawhney,
Peace Orchestra and Bebel Gilberto - delivering plenty of remixes,
as well as the soundtrack score of the movie, Anatomie, featuring
Franka Potente.
Their debut album has therefore been a long time in coming, but
marks something worth talking about now that it is here.
Elevator Music kicks off proper with the track Universal
Love, featuring Marcus Begg, which harks back to the late
70s/early 80s boogie disco sound of the Jackson 5, and which sets
the feelgood tone from the outset.
Yet it doesn't really get going until track five, the former
single, Jaleo - a glorious Flamenco-inspired session, rammed
full of intoxicating Spanish guitars and Concha Buika's lush vocals.
It is here that the Latin spirit is set free and one can imagine
the Flamenco-flavoured dance clubs of London pulsating with the
sound of the Trio this summer. It is almost guaranteed to get
you dancing.
Likewise, Alegre 2003 and A Festa - the latter
of which fuses a Brazilian funkiness with some hard-hitting drum
'n' bass, as well as the bongos of New York's Mike T. It makes
for an explosive catalyst guaranteed to add to the sweatiness
on the dancefloor.
Make A Move is described by the Trio themselves as an
'orgy of rhythm' and it's easy to see why - the track mixes a
dub intro with some brass breaks and a 17-piece Latin orchestra.
It is a sprawling mess of a record, which somehow remains likeable,
thanks to the Latin flava.
And things reach an all-time high with the old club-ad hit, A
Go-Go (used in the United Nations Development Program's charity
spot, The Most Beautiful Gesture, featuring soccer pros Ronaldo
and Zidane), which really brings down the house - you can just
feel an early David Holmes vibe running through it, while recalling
the flashy, Samba-style soccer skills of its football stars. It's
that funky.
Proceedings beocme a little more chilled with the soulful Bad
Luck, featuring the supremely laidback vocals of Joseph Malik,
while Lover Uncovered marks the return of Marcus Begg and
expertly merges soul with R 'n' B.
I could go on, but you've probably got the idea. Elevator
Music is nothing like its title suggests, only rarely slipping
into the mundane, with overly-repetitive tracks such as the afro-beat
laden Runnin', or New Music, which seems tailor-made
for the early morning Ibiza club crowd.
Yet they are but minor blips in an otherwise beautiful musical
landscape which really ought to be discovered.
|
