Measure out equal portions of jazz, funk, ambient electronics, and samples. Dump all these ingredients into a blender and hit purée until you achieve a homogenous texture. Try adding some violin and even some flute, for the more discerning palate. You've just created the recipe for Concentric
Made up of Matt Campbell ( bass, synth, samples), Steve Sponseller (drums), Jeff Grove ( sax,flute,kalimba, synth), and featuring Paul Pollini ( guitars on tracks 1,4,7,10,12) and Ben Swan ( violin on tracks 2,4,7,12); Concentric offers up 13 slices of ambient groove which demonstrates a great compositional flair, and tons of infectious grooves. Whether funking ( that's f-u-N-k-i-n-g) out on tracks like Three Lemons, progging along on numbers like the superb A11ocate or bopping on tracks like The Best Way To End A Career ; Concentric demonstrates a mastery of conflicting styles. There's so much going on here musically that if you're not too keen on one track, just skip over it because the next one will be completely different.
Admittedly, samples and ambient soundscapes are not my forte, but Concentric's debut release manages to incorporate all these elements in a cohesive manner as opposed to leaning on them heavily as a crutch. The various samples complement the musical dexterity on display instead to dominating it. A surprisingly good release which should appeal to fans with varied musical tastes, from acid jazz to progressive to funk. Check 'em out !
- Three Lemons (5:18)
- The Price Of All That Is Me (6:16)
- Please, Mojo (2:29)
- A11ocate (8:11)
- Hit The Ground Recovering (2:04)
- Mazar-e Shariff (3:42)
- Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge (5:44)
- Fili Mi Boni Belli (4:20)
- Slight (4:50)
- The Best Way To End A Career (4:47)
- Something I probably Cannot Afford (4:01)
- Tropic Of Capricorn (5:22)
- The Ambassador (5:20)
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
