Jazzanova
In Between
Ropeadope
A couple years back when I interviewed Alexander Borck, he swore up and down that this six-man German crew was not producing jazz. Sure, their legendary Remixes 1997-2000 double-CD definitely wasn’t jazz, but the influence that the music had on their immaculate dance breaks was undeniable. Now, Alex, Jurgen, Cleas, Axel, Stefan, and Roskow return with their debut of original material, and once again, the jazz question looms in the air like the Hindenberg over Jersey. In fact, In Between may be the perfect moniker for this album for the exquisite music here looms in the nirvanic space between jazz and dance.
There are simply not enough superlatives in the English language to lavish upon this album. While humanity may not know perfection, Jazzanova gives you an inkling as to its shape and sound here. They unleash a subtle, yes, jazzy groove that overwhelms you with its beauty. A beautiful Afro-funk, astral jazz, hip-hop-textured soundscape that purifies the soul. Along with an international cavalcade of envelope pushers (including Ursula Rucker, Vikter Duplaix, Rob Gallagher, Capital A, and Valerie Etienne), the collective takes the music into an otherworldly beauty that leaves one awash in a stellar afterglow. There are segments of the electronic/club worlds who will never be the same after hearing this disc. They have raised the bar to Olympian heights, and it will be fun listening to the stumbling efforts lesser mortals product just to meet Jazzanova halfway.
Ropeadope Records: http://www.ropeadeope.com • Jazzanova: http://www.jazzanova.net
