Customer Reviews

At the Center

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After years of pioneering dance, dub, big beat, jungle, alternative hip hop, and tape music, Jack Dangers' Meat Beat Manifesto project evolves to where it was always headed, an improvisational jazz quartet. Part of 'The Blue Series' on Thirsty Ear Recordings, an imprint fusing electronics with jazz, they could have not asked for a better contributor. MBMs albums have differed vastly over the past 20 years, and this may be one of their most unexpected yet. Using well known jazz musicians, Dangers layers beats, bass clarinet and flute, and thundering dub basslines over improvised noodling that changes with the flow of each track, sometimes employing his trademark vocal sample archives. Overall, a welcome experience, now we just need him to pick up the microphone again, and school all newcomers.

As always, Jack totally reinvents himself with each release and makes an album that only he can make. With a mixture jazz and electro sensabilties, "At The Center" may be a suprise to his fans used to the techno industrial sounds of the past 16 years, but in the end, it rewards greatly. Surely not one to miss if you think Jack as much of a musical genius as the rest of us do. However, As Subliminal Sandwich notes, I suggest you "play twice before listening."

My only complaint is that, once again, Jack's vocals are absent. Please bring your singing back, Jack!

Otherwise, this is a treat for your ears.

This, like all MBM albums, pushes the lines into a new area. It is heavily Jazz influenced. If you do not like Jazz this album is probably not for you. Personally I find it great to put on while working. My personal favorites have to be the Want Ads One and Want Ads Two. Something intriguing about them. One thing I've noticed about being a MBM fan is every album is way different than the other. This is not Storm The Studio or Satyricon or Subliminal Sandwich. MBM keeps reinventing the wheel. Going into this album trying to compare it to the others does this album injustice.

Much as Techno and HipHop have played tugofwar with MBM, that touch of Jazz was always there, lounging on the centerflag.

And It has finally arrived to embrace us all.

"At the Center" is one of the finest 'beginning to end' albums I've heard in some time. Granted, my heart of hearts was holding out hope for another "Actual Sounds and Voices". Yet once we stop looking for the next 'asbestosleadasbestos' or 'acid again' we find a group of sincere artists emanating a constant mellow groove with no need to skip about.

We find something good for professional movers and wallflowers alike, ready to wink back at anyone willing to listen.

If word of the flute's constant presence made you apprehensive, you're not alone. It's hardly my favorite instrument, but after a few weeks of play I can't imagine this work without it. Of course, I'll always want more, and I know they could have worked in more variety, or at least given us more time before having to start it up again.

I know I'll keep it in for house parties, house cleanings, communities and chambers alike.


Btw:

Don't worry about the live show being too mellow, they mix it up and crank it up with the best of them.

Quite a refreshing thing to hear...

Like next level jazz fusion, picking up where the 70s left off

It is a credit to Jack Dangers that he has been able to experiment with so many different styles over his career and still retain a trademark sound that is instantly identifiable as Meat Beat Manifesto, and this album is no different. Here he orchestrates an unexpected collision of jazzy flutes and rhythms with dubby basslines and a smattering of drum'n'bass. In lesser hands the mix would be a regrettable mess, but Dangers is able to make the combination sound effortless, natural, and thoroughly accessible (much more accessible than his recent RUOK and In Dub discs, IMHO.) Everything is grounded in that unmistakable MBM bass and the album flows remarkably smoothly and coherently from track 1 right through to the end, every track being a variation on the same general concept. It is the MBM album I always wished they would make, but never knew I wanted it.

Finally, the album I've been waiting for from Meat Beat since "Subliminal Sandwich"! It fills every audible space your ear has and then some. Jack is back and stronger than ever. More ground breaking sounds for the electronic music genre, always one step ahead of the rest, that Jack. Can't wait to see what he's got up his sleeve next, don't keep us waiting long.

Those familiar with the jazzy riffs and scapes in Meat Beat Manifesto's music may be surprised and pleased to find that Jack Dangers either did or could have played these himself. Jack plays several instruments in this retro-jazzy album, and plays them well. The effect is somewhat like a '70s movie score, with current embellishments. That is-- it is very cool. Definitely a must for fans of Meat Beat and recommended for fans of retro and jazz music, too!

Wow. Let me say that I really dig this album, even though I've only heard the samples from meat beat's web site! I first saw MBM back in... '99 I think... opening for The Prodigy. Liked their stuff, but I guess I didn't pay it much attention being super-stoked to see the prodigy...

Fast forward to 2005. My musical tastes have changed somewhat. Seeing that MBM is coming to my home town next week, I decided to see if they had a recent release (which they do) and try and download some song samples (which I did).

I love it all! Any fan of Thievery Corporation or the Verve Remix albums will really love this MBM album as I do. What the other reviews say are true, jazzy in spots, but real cool beats. I love jazz though.

I think you will enjoy this!

Too jazzy in some parts and too much flute in other parts.It has its moments but all in all wait and buy it used or when comes way down price. I'm glad I got a good deal on it on half.com because it not worth paying $13 and up for it.Better luck (I really hope) next time Jack !