Customer Reviews

Berlin Serengeti

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Radio Citizen's "Berlin Seregeti" summons the spirits of John Coltrane, Rashan Roland Kirk, McCoy Tyner, and the hard bop / experimental jazz of the mid-to-late 1960's and wraps them in extraordinarily crafted beats and samples to create a truly fresh sound. The true test of this kind of music is whether it simply recycles old sounds or recasts them in a new light. What struck me most was the amazing convergence between the afro-cuban beats and the hard bop horn and flute runs that comprise the CD's most interesting tracks. In this respect, McCoy Tyner is probably the closest point of reference and "Berlin Serengeti" effectively answers the question: "What would John Coltrane and Rashan Roland Kirk have sounded like if they had played with McCoy's Latin All-Stars?" German spoken word / poet / singer Bajka provides perfect vocal flavor to her tracks, including the rather incongruous though catchy "Hop", which starts the album off in more conventional trip-hop direction. Her contributions to "Everything" and "Championsound" are evocative in the manner of Nina Simone, while her tone and phrasing are superb, in the manner of Billie Holliday and Sarah Vaughn. "Berlin Serengeti" is really a remarkable achievement and succeeds in paying the best kind of homage to its sources. Even more, it reconnects avant-garde jazz with its dance roots - quite an accomplishment.

Radio Citizen was a new name to me when I downloaded the album Berlin Serengeti from eMusic on a whim (I saw that some folks who's tastes where similar to mine had gotten it). My eyes almost bugged out the first time I listened to it.

Fat grooves in the background, great jazz riffs and fantastic original vocals come together in a thick stew of groove and and beats. If you are a downtempo fan who also likes jazz I cannot recommend this enough. It may be blasphemy, but Radio Citizen did a much better job of Jazz/Downtempo fusion then Davis did with Rock.

I don't usually leave reviews but felt impelled to write a quick one concerning this disc. It is a fantastic piece of work. The fact that they covered a Mal Waldron song was enough to make me love them. He is one of my favorite free jazz pianists. I bought the album on amazon due to some positive reviews and caprice. I was happily surprised to see Bajika on this disc, too. I enjoyed her work with Bonobo and always like hearing her voice pop up here and there on D.J. tracks. For anyone who loves jazz and beats this is a must. It has very nice complexities and does not rely just on table skills. It reminds me of Cinematic Orchestra's album "Every day" but with more instruments and lyrics. If you like this genre of music do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

this is for fans of bonobo, quantic, and nostalgia 77 with a heavier jazz vibe with heavy beats

I stumbled across "Hop" on iTunes and have been hooked ever since. Great for kicking back with a glass of wine and cooking dinner. Keeps you moving and I never get tired of listening to them.

Of all the different kinds of music I love, Zeppelin to Jay-Z, Vivaldi to Dave Brubeck, The Hop is one of my favorite songs of all time. The rest of the album is also a very very solid piece of work. Can't wait for more Radio Citizen.

These great tracks have a jazz feel to them and are enhanced by strong beats. "Hop" is my favorite on the album; it has sort of a city vibe and flows nicely.