Music Reviews

Truby Trio

A Go Go/Carajillio/Prima Vera

Beanfield

The Season

The Season

Compost Records

Known historically for its highly influential Future Sound of Jazz series, and abstractly blurring the lines between electronic dance music, jazz, and Latin/Brazilian rhythms, Compost Records, out of Germany, is one of the most innovative record labels today. With these two new releases, though, Compost has garnered national attention, and has really gotten a foothold on the electronic/organic sound.

Truby Trio (Rainer Truby, Christian Prommer, and Roland Appel) have only been around for two years now, although all members have played in previous fusion groups. This maxi-single really defines the Compost sound. “A Go Go” is some serious Latin funk, with a jungle/drum n’ bass beat behind it, while “Carajillo” combines Latin and Afro-Cuban sound with jazz-style breaks moving at a house tempo. Boozo Bajou’s remix of “A Go Go” sounds like a drum circle, orbiting the depths of dub, and the final track, “Prima Vera” carries the same housey, jazzy vibe as before, with a deeper feel to it.

On a bit of a different tip, Beanfield (Jan Krause, Tobias Maggle, and Compost label head Michael Reinboth) come through with the maxi-single for “The Season.” This track features vocals and poetry from a young female named Bajka, who has worked with Transglobal Underground, the South African Zulu Nation, and most recently appeared on the Lyricist’s Lounge compilation. Her poetry is silky sweet, weaving its way in and out of a very organic breakbeat in the original mix. Both the Swag and the Attica Blues remixes on the disc offer variation in beats, and subtle textures, but what remains strong and consistent throughout the remixes are Bajka’s vocal stylings – the heart and soul of this song.

Both of these discs complement each other wonderfully, and should be picked up in a pair. If you’re a longtime fan of jazz or world music, and are looking for a place to start in the electronic universe, then this is a wonderful transition.


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