Greg Long
Balance
Shadow
When I first heard this disc, I mistakenly thought I was listening to downtempo Muzak. Used to the breakbeat menace of so many other Shadow artists like Goo or Mujaji, I didn’t know how to take this smooth artists. Accustomed to such hyperbole, I wondered, who the hell needs Balance?
However, upon further listening, I’ve come to appreciate what it is that Long does. The man floats in a beautiful genre netherworld that refuses to be labeled – like a Blu Mar Ten. and, while he is heavily loop-dependent, like so many DJ/producers, he has a unique approach to song construction that is more along the lines of “traditional” composition. His is a light, breezy feel that has a dreamy jazz appeal. Balance takes the menace out of “chilling out” and actually makes the process more relaxing.
Shadow Records: http://www.shadowrecords.com
