DA505 main
26/7/05
7:55 pm
Page 102
102 Drum: BEATS
Album Reviews
From recognising the work of a techno visionary, to celebrating
the finest in London soul, with Lee Hodkinson.
Juan Atkins
20 Years/1985-2005
Eric Benét
Hurricane
Bebel Gilberto
Various Artists Remixed
TRESOR/METROPLEX/SONY
REPRISE/FRIDAY/WARNER
ZIRIGUIBOOM/CRAMMED DISCS
Back to the future with
a true pioneer.
Middle of the road musings
which lack the necessary grit
An eclectic mix of artists &
a beautiful Brazilian voice
With all the attention that Missy’s
Lose Control! single received
recently, this 20-year retrospective
of the techno giant is even more
relevant. Included are masterpieces
like Clear (the bedrock of the
aforementioned Missy track),
Dreammaker (an early collaboration with Rick Davis which
sounds like The Love Below after
too much cough syrup) and the
snake-like motions of Infiniti’s
frightening Skyway (which has me
envisioning HR Giger paintings
and illegal midnight races through
Tokyo in the year 6000). Ignore
the cries of “I don’t listen to house/
techno/rave’’ from the uninformed;
the musical innovations of Juan
and his peers (and their subsequent
influence on much of today’s new
music) cannot be stressed enough:
go ask Timbaland and friends.
As to be expected, this album is
about love, loss and redemption,
topics which will fill you with
warmth or nausea depending on
your disposition. Be Myself Again
is an optimistic ode to starting
over, this and the seductive
Pretty Baby serve as impressive
introductions. However, the
majority of songs which follow
suffer from being either too
sparse or propped up with overdramatic bombast which screams
‘Epic, Grammy-winning power
ballad’ very loudly. Whilst there’s
no denying Eric’s voice (and
determination), apart from the
aforementioned tracks and the
touching I Wanna Be Loved,
Hurricane failed to move me.
Brazil’s Bebel Gilberto has a voice
you instantly fall in love with.
However, remix albums (and there’s
an abundance of them these days)
are a risky venture. The magical
opener, DJ Spinna’s remix of Céu
Distante, eased my uncertainty.
The shuffling drum beats and
gentle synth keys perfectly coexist with her enchanting vocals.
Yam Who? supplies more offkilter drums and keys to Baby,
letting the vocals float in and out
of the arrangement, before an
infectious up-tempo rhythm
catches you unaware. Praise also
goes to Spiritual South for turning
Aganju into a hypnotic brokenbeat number. Elsewhere, some
remixers veer dangerously close
to creating ‘coffee shop music’,
but the album has its share of
highlights.
Highlights: Clear, Dreammaker,
Skyway
Highlights: Be Myself Again,