Born on the 24th of July

Charles Webster | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 6, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Statrax Recordings
• ASIN: B00005R8HC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,521 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sweet Butterfly

2. Ready

3. Be No-One

4. The Gift Of Freedom

5. Fox Soup

6. Your Life

7. Forget The Past

8. I Understand You

9. I'm Falling

10. Put Your Hurt Aside

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sweet "soul - house" surfaces to help us survive, November 6, 2001

By 

Russell E. Scott "futurestar" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Born on the 24th of July (Audio CD)

Tech-house music god, Charles Webster (of: Presence, Love From San Francisco, DJ Profile, and Furry Phreaks fame) delivers a late entry into the "best of year" catagory. For years, an underground dance-music guru, Webster has finally come into his own, surfacing at the top. This album is masterful, mature and subtle nuances rule. Expert minimalist instrumentation nudge each track along. As the music coasts and glides, the emphasis on the song becomes apparent. Every cut, it's own mystical journey into an electronic soundscape, hosted by the perfect, deft vocalist (the contributors include: Del St. Joseph, Sara Jay, Steve Edwards, Terra Deva, Xan, and Mark Sheridan). "Sweet Butterfly", "Forget the Past", and "I Understand You" are all classic material, but beware, there are no slouches. Elements of jazz and R&B help infuse flavor into a musical genre best termed "soul house". Selective, seductive, haunting, and poignant, BORN ON THE 24th OF JULY would best serve last night rendezvous, or just kicking back. When nothing else will do, this will do. Search out at all cost and treasure a secret shared.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dancing souls in the mechanical ether, December 2, 2002

By 

Henri Edward Dongieux - See all my reviews

This review is from: Born on the 24th of July (Audio CD)

For those familiar with Charles Webster's hauntingly beautiful work throughout the 1990s in the shape of Presence and others, this album will be a welcome and much-needed tonic against the recycled beats and more-is-better production that we're being inflicted with. It's a smoother rendition of the sounds we heard beginning to develop with the "White Powder EP," but with a sophistication that only time can add.

Webster puts together slow, atmospheric tracks using the simplest of elements - basic analog synth, 808 and 909 drums, and the generous application of reverbs and delays. He creates a magical landscape of lush, textured sound into which one can dive and be surrounded by a vibe like no other. Lyrics are edgy and poetic, brooding and intense, lifting the whole completely outside the realm of the ordinary. "Forget the past" is a haunting spoken-word track with 808 congas and a minimal driving bassline; "I'm falling" in line with its name drops the listener through a sea of sound with a delayed refrain outro that charms like few others.

This is the latest of late-night, the most classic of classic, the most vintage of vintage. Rarely have we seen the poetic and the mechanical meld so effortlessly into one. With most of the tracks at an unmixably slow pace, you will be forced to listen to the work as an album, linearly, and that is the only way to enjoy it.

Thank you, Mr. Webster, you've done it again.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charles Webster - "Born On The 24th Of July", November 6, 2001

By 

Pete (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Born on the 24th of July (Audio CD)

What a totally pleasant shock! Charles Webster, long known for his deep house extravaganzas, makes his debut for US label, Statra, with this soulful, downtempo album that can appeal across the board. Webster uses his house background to lay down some deep grooves, while an array of guest vocalists, including the likes of Terra Deva, make this album the perfect late night lounging album. If you are fans of Massive Attack or Portishead, you MUST check out this album. And for those already on the Webster tip, this will be a refreshing surprise, and an instant "must have".