Savath + Savalas
Apropa’t
Warp
There is still a grievous misconception out there in the general public that these DJ/producer types aren’t really musicians. Most folks think that these artists simply cut and paste samples on top of frenetic 4/4 beats and call it a day. Now, I’m not going to say that these artists and that process don’t exist. But there is so much more.
Scott Herren (aka Savath + Savalas or Prefuse 73, depending on the day) is definitely one of those exceptions. Along with the likes of DJ Spooky, P’Taah, Flanger and Matthew Herbert, Herren has proven that there’s more than one inning in the electronic game.
On Apropa’t, Herren has teamed up with Spanish singer Eva Puyuelo to create a truly wonderful masterwork. Very rarely can one find such a daring album, no matter the genre. Herren has mixed live instrumentation and electronic wizardry to immaculate effect. Imagine Brasil 66 on acid sung in Spanish. This album is a melancholia dreamscope full of subtle tones and lush colors. It takes you to another world full of sadness and separation, a place to lose your soul in everything morose. Yet, it’s a beautiful, wondrous depression. There’s a profound poetry in every note that is truly a celebration. One can’t help but marvel at the artistry in this work, the skill and talent that both Herren and Puyuelo possess. They dip us gently into dark waters in which one can happily swim. How many musicians can accomplish that?
Warp Records: http://www.warprecords.com/
