Bobby Hughes Combination
Nhu Golden Era
Stereo Deluxe
Bobby Hughes, or Norwegian DJ/producer Espen Horne (who has more alter egos than Eve) has crafted the sophisticated jazz/lounge album Thievery Corporation’s sophomore effort should have been. Assembling a group of apparently talented musicians to bring his sound to fruition, Hughes has composed an album that is both energetic and laid back, both future and past, and utterly entertaining. Nhu Golden Era fuses all the usual characters in more forward-thinking electronica (hip-hop, jazz, Latin, and funk) into a brilliant amalgamation of sound that throws you back to the ’50s and ’60s and yet is more than relevant with its contemporary dance-rhythm drives. This album truly delivers you to a special place of coolness that is hard to comprehend, yet easy to enjoy.
“Clive The Runner” is an ultra hip La Dolce Vita bit of sass. “Moogjuus” is a hipster dancefloor bop that would even have Norman Mailer’s white Negroes swinging their watch fobs on the dancefloor. “Nhu Beginin” has a fat, laid-back groove with crystalline vocals, while “Olympic Girls” is a somnambulist’s wet dream. “Brass Interruption,” a true gem, is a piece of retro/future lounge with a spacey Manadrill-like chorus that leaves you creamy-eyed.
Hughes/Horne pulls it off with an infectious joie de vivre. The entire album is filled with an energy, electricity, a sense of urgency that one does not usually hear in the genre. Filled with organic verve, each track compels. Nhu Golden Era is definitely worth your undivided attention.
Stereo Deluxe: http://www.stereodeluxe.com/
