Emanative - Wind, Sand And Stars (feat Heidi Vogel and Geoff Wolley); From Emanative's Space LP, Futuristica Music (2009)
http://www.juno.co.uk/products/Space/353781-01/
http://www.ifmusic.co.uk/product.php?products_id=9762
review by http://www.flyglobalmusic.com
EMANATIVE - SPACE
NOW, WHEN I BUMPED INTO GILLES PETERSON LAST WEEK (PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR HIS NEW HAIRCUT), I SUGGESTED THE WINNER OF ALBUM OF THE YEAR. LIKE THE OLD SAGE HE IS HE REPLIED, "WE'LL SEE". NOW, WAS HE THINKING OF RAPHAEL SAADIQ'S ALBUM THAT HE WAS RAVING ABOUT LAST WEEK? WELL, I'M NOW THINKING IT'S ANOTHER ONE OF HIS FAVOURITE ARTISTS, EMANATIVE'S DEBUT SPACE!
If you listened to Peterson's podcast with Futuristica Music's head honcho Simon S a while back you'll know how impressed he was with the debut single by Emanative (and that's pronounced quite a few ways I have you know), the small classic 'Petite Planete'.
And you may recall Emanative (aka Nick Woodmansey), he being one of the Ds of 3-D Future Primitive project but there's not a even sniff of 'Lift On Mars', glitter or hot pants on Space.
'Petite Planete' remains the glorious bass clarinet stroll and Fender Rhodes on the left bank and sets the tone for the whole album. It's a beautiful collection of sax, bass clarinet, keys, drums and bass (and a touch of cosmic spaceways) that's sultry jazz and beats all mixed up at the same time; it's a killer tune that's always going to be a FLY favourite. Madlib might be coming to town next week but I'm just as excited by this track as when I first heard it's earliest incantations at Saturn Radio.
You may also recall Emanative's 'Turn Your Lights On' (with Ahu) was featured on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Bubblers Three but the debut album opens with the previous single 'Petite Planete'.
Now, the problem is, how do you follow that? Well, Nick's sensibly gets the Emanative "band" to collective work their magic on this CD throughout. They are Jessica Lauren (last seen on FLY as part of the Annabel (lee) Quartet) on Fender Rhodes, piano, analogue synths, sonics and tape delays), Ben Hadwen (who we know from Atjazz and Planet Rescue) on saxophones, flute, bass clarinet and gyaling, Neville Malcolm (bass) and on lead and backing vocals, both Liz Elensky and Deborah Jordan (she of Replife's The Unclosed Mind, Electric Conversations' Communication and so much more) and, of course, the man himself, Nick Woodmansey (drums, percussion, samples and producer).
'We Travel The Spacebeats' is very modal mixed with Carlos Nino's 'pyschedelic cosmic love from California' and this really works well on 'Wind, Sand And Stars' (this one features Heidi Vogel and Geoff Wolley) along with another top track is 'Space In Veda' featuring Ms. Jordan. If you could put all your MamikO favourites (Flying Lotus, Dabrye et al) and get them jazzed up, Space is what would come out the other end; 'Flip Flop' is exactly that with Todd Simon on trumpet and Ms. Lauren on a very Sun Ra "jazz" organ (ohhh, that's so cool).
Any duff moments? Ben and Nick start to battle it out on 'Snare Of The Venue Fly-Traps' but ridiculously it's not even a minute long! But wait, how low can these guys funk? Funk you say! Yeah, even jazz-funk. 'Low Motion' is dreamy boogie at its best and the break could even be Harvey Mason.
I tell you this album is so good as it ends on an even better high than the start with 'When On Earth' (the other single with Deborah and Liz on vocals), the Deborah's vocal version of 'Petite Planete' (called 'Stars Collide') and another little gem of an instrumental, 'Lights On'.
There's a couple of space ambient 'interludes' that just top the set off and as one wise man has already commented, "We should all feel very blessed that music like this exists in our lifetime". I couldn't agree more and I'll try my very best to get to the launch party on 21st May 2009 (see details below) where DJ Simon S (he of Futuristica Music) and Mr. Beatnick (who we last featured on Hint's One Woman Army EP) will be joining Nick on this special night.
Album of the year I'd say. (And I totaly agree)
Links:
http://www.facebook.com/nick.woodmansey
www.myspace.com/emanative
www.3-dproject.co.uk
http://soundcloud.com/emanative
www.youppala.com
www.futuristicamusic.com
www.myspace.com/futuristicamusic
www.samurai.fm/futuristica
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