Revolution VoidEffects Of Elevation
Review by Thomas David
Jazz musicians that make electronic music walk a tenuous path for a creative outlet. The risk of being labeled a smooth jazz musician must be considered for it can be the death of you. Smooth jazz doesn’t appeal to dancing young kids and adults, OR any jazz aficionado. Jonah Dempcy is a jazz trained musician attempting to walk that tenuous path while also committing what many would consider a marketing mistake... he’s giving away his music. Society derives value from what something costs (not my theory, talk to my economics teachers) so giving away these three songs says they are worthless. Wrong. There is nothing that breaks any boundaries in these three songs but the first two songs are good dance music and the last song was a surprising twist. The first track, the original, features pedigreed jazz bassist Matthew Garrison who drives the track with a fairly lyrical rhythm for what is basically a break-house beat. The drum programming sounds are clean and crisp but some parts sound cliché. The rest of the song jams around those parts, mostly, with talk-box and piano leads. This makes me want to see them live at a festival so I can dance with a sarong-wearing dready girl. The second remix is a harder house version by Citizen Prime. The beat hits pretty hard but not mind-numbing hard-house style. It’s a remix of the other so piano leads and talk-box return to whirl around the beat. I picture hearing this at a club with someone like Scott Henry DJing and me dancing with a dready girl in really big pants. The last version is by Sevenless. It starts with a dark, slow hard-house beat which leads into TDS-era Nine Inch Nails-sounding synths that fill any empty space. The beat shuffles and deconstructs itself continually until the song ends with a floor-tom and kick-drum lead into a quiet piano epilogue. Its danceable “industrial” that I hope to hear at a fetish party while dancing with some multi-pierced dready girl. Notice the pattern? Dance music that makes me want to dance (i.e. good).
+ effects of elevation [get the other tracks here]
Revolution Void homepage
While the electronic Jazz musician risks walking the fine line that exists between "smooth Jazz" and an all around catchy danceable tune the gamble is well worth the reward. Such was the case for Revolution Void's newest release Effects of Elevation. Not only did he himself produce a tune worthy of even the hippest dance music DJs crates but he recruited Citizen Prime and Sevenless to pump out an eclectic set of remixs. Each with their own style these remixs are worthy of mention. The Citizen prime remix has a easy moving hard house groove and might be my personal favorite. The sevenless remix starts out hard and rolls into a trip-hop dubed out ending and is probably the least danceable of the trio but is the perfect late night tune to ride out on. These remixes not only add to, the lone man behind Revolution Void, Jonah Dempcy's credibility as a dance musician but are truly worth while remixs. The original mix features jazz bassist Matthew Garrison and while is bass line line IS a tad cliche the mix is not smooth Jazz. Jonah Dempcy's harmonic piano piece is original, bad ass and overall a wonderful example of his talent as a Jazz pianist, it is to me the single most striking smooth Jazz feature of set. I, an electronic fan over all other music forms, think if he wishes to make the move to dance music let his talent show through the melodies and of course the hooks. Electronic music is much more a rhythmic form of music then it is harmonic and while I enjoy seeing people take it to new places I would love to hear what Jonah Dempcy could produce if he focused on the elements that make unforgettable dance music, RYTHME.
ReplyDeleteSi eres aficionado al Smooth Jazz me gustaría que escucharas mi programa diario de radio dedicado a este género musical. Entra en mi página www.las1001musicas.blogspot.com y pincha en el enlace para oir el programa.... Creo que te gustará...
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