21st Century Soul

As One | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 6, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ubiquity
• ASIN: B00005R5Z4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,531 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another considerably Superb & Excellent album, by "As One", August 17, 2004

By 

fetish_2000 (U.K.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 21st Century Soul (Audio CD)

"Kirk Degiorgio" the brains behind "As One" has been composing & producing music since 1994's "Reflections" album. Yet still remains something of a undiscovered find.....strange, considering that he makes highly cerebral & complex electronic music. Here, he fuses elements of techno rhythm programming with jazz instrumentation to reveal a truly sublime listening experience, that although takes several listens to truly digest, earmarks him as a producer of some confident distinction.

"Another Revolution" mines the sound of the (fairly) new 'Broken Beat' genre, with breaks that are fractured and energetic, and has that layers various jazz samples (like Cello, Bass etc), to highly impressive effort, and this becomes all the more noticeable, by the fact that this (like all but two of the tracks on this album), is purely instrumental driven, and doesn't rely on a strong vocalist to carry the track.

"Free As" stakes its claim to greatness, by pitching its tent in the "Nu-Jazz" section of music. More melodic and elegant rhythmically, this has the compostion of Acid-Jazz, with a freewheeling sound that has a superb Synth-organ arrangement that the majority of the track is built around. Again the fact that this is a fusing of the electronica sound, with contemporary jazz, without the need for a male/female vocalist to make it distinctive is hugely impressive.

"Problems" is one of the two vocals tracks featured on this album, and if theres one thing that can be said about "As One", It's the fact that there are usually very few vocal tracks on his albums (usually 2-3 tracks feature vocals), but when he does decide to include them, they are almost certainly the highlights on the albums. And this rings true with "Problems", as a strong electro bass underpins the sound, with earthy synths, and a gorgeous male vocal prominently dictating the track. The easiest way to describe this would be Techno-soul (Think Prime-era "Stevie Wonder"....with warm electronics & Hypnotic vocals).

"In The Arms of You" is quite possibly the most beautiful compostion on the album, with as strong sense of wonder & enchantment, with the twinkly musical-box sounding texture, and some of the most expansive percussion & deft use of sampling, it's the electronic equivalent of a truly remarkable instrumental string section tucked away on one of your favourite albums, that stands out for being so gorgeously beautiful. Shame then, that it's less than two and a half minutes long.

"The Path of Most Resistance" is the second of the Vocal tracks on this album, and its almost certainly as brilliantly realised as the first Vocal track, with its electro-Jazz-Funk and dense production, this is just one of the multitude of styles that Kirk Degiorgio successfully tackles and proves to not only be a versatile producer, but also a truly accomplished composer. As this track touches on elements of experimental Jazz, & Funk fusion, but without the aid of live instrumentation, and instead done by exceptional programming skills and a sharp ear for melody, this track stands out as a highlight on an album with no weak tracks on it.

There is no doubt that "As One" has made a truly remarkable album here, but those that aren't familiar with his trademark blending of 'Electronica, Techno-soul, Sampling, Jazz-house & Nu-Jazz', should at least approach this with an open mind. The reason for this is because, some may enter into this album, thinking that because Kirk Degiorgio is labelled as a 'techno' producer, that this is music suitable for the dance floor. Unfortunately this isn't the case, as although it features the repetition of intelligent techno rhythms & a level of complexity usually associated with techno, it's far too steeped in Jazz & electro-funk to dance to. It shares more in common with "Carl Craig's", "Herbert" & "Stasis's" form of beautifully arranged cerebral techno, than anything else, and will need several listens at home to truly appreciate the subtly of sounds that only become apparent after several listens. But those that have any of Kirk's other "As one" albums, this easily stands up as some of his finest work.

4.0 out of 5 stars As One - 21st Century Soul, February 21, 2011

By 

scoundrel - See all my reviews

This review is from: 21st Century Soul (Audio CD)

Kirk Degiorgio sure is a chameleon. From his early Detroitian Reflections to his free-jazzy Planetary Folklore, he's a man notorious for not sticking to a genre. And that's to his credit. 21st Century Soul has plenty of that -- soul -- with a re-emergence of his love of Detroit. "Undefeated" sets a steady rhythm before its lovely melody comes in. "Amalia" is a lovely standing bass-driven jazz piece. As One continues to forge ahead with the quality.

4.0 out of 5 stars Funky nu-jazz, August 4, 2009

By 

Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: 21st Century Soul (Audio CD)

This is an easily accessible disc that fuses various elements of electronica but seems to rest most comfortably with the nu-jazz tag. The mostly instrumental tracks are a bridge between jazz,funk and different types of electronica. It might be called urban ambient with it's melodic flow juxtaposed with thrashing broken beats. Think a mix of Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock fusion energy of the seventies combined with Carl Cox house music and you get the picture. The music as the title indicates has a lot of 21st Century Soul. Favorite hot tracks include the neo-soul vocals displayed on "Problems", the spirited groove with acid jazz overtones of "I'll Keep Lov'n You" the Herbie Hancockesque funky tune entitled "Like No Other," the mellow yet funky "Music is An Open Sky" and "Contours" which has retro drum 'n bass lines combined with a sleek, funky, acid jazz feel. The music on this disc is perfect urban ambient music, reflecting the chaos but soothing the soul. It is freewheeling,heady. dance grooves hardly contained within the parameters of conventional electronica dance music. Recommended for jazz heads looking for something old, different but still nu.