Customer Reviews

Cliquety Kliqk

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

 

 

Quannum Records always challenges its listeners with genre bending, envelope pushing sonic treats and this album from General Elektriks is no different. There's such a collage of styles that give this album its own unique flavor. Tripped out synthesizers, guitar riffs, precise scratches and cuts, it's blended and melted together courtesy of Herve "RV" Salters. It's tough to put a label on what this album sounds like, but I think that was the whole idea. If you're into genre defying music, then this is right up your alley. The closest you can come to labeling this would be to call it good music, plain and simple. Highly recommended. Guests include Lateef the Truth Speaker and Feetal

I bought this having no idea what it was. The sticker mentioned Lateef and the Chief but I didn't know if this was a side project of just them or what, but I trusted Quannum. I was thrilled with what I got. Mellow, trippy synth heaven, kept sharp with tight production, scratches, etc.. Sounds kind of like / reminds me of: Esquivel, Tipsy, Mushroom, mid-70's funky acid jazz. If you like any of that stuff don't hesitate. Plus Lateef is dope as always. The impossibly laid back non-rap vocals are totally excellent as well, and the french guy makes it all sound very unique, like something I can't place but totally familiar. Not to be missed AKA don't sleep!

This disc really drives it home in my book. The genres shift like snowdrifts in gale-force winds and I'll jump on board with one of the previous reviewers who nominated "Frost on Your Sunglasses" for track of the year honors.

I'm a total sucker for discs that - even after multiple listens - end up in the 'uncategorizable' section of my cd collection (or pile, as it usually is).

Yes, the Lateef tracks are hot, but not in the way you'd expect them to be after his work with XCel on the Maroons/Ambush EP. In fact, his lyrics and delivery border on 'touching', for lack of a better description; especially on "Take You Out Tonight". That one is destined to go down as a soultastic classic, owing more nods to Al Green than Rakim. Unfortunately, just like almost every envelope-pushing release in the realm covered by the underground hip hop umbrella, this disc will be swept toward the dustbin of irrelevance far before its genius is realized. The reality of that observation pierces the heart of my soul, but anyone who's made it this far has probably become resigned to accepting such harsh realities with the proverbial grain of salt on an almost daily basis. So be it, eh?

Nonetheless, buck the trend and take a chance on this gem. You can thank me later.

Seriously - check this one out and give it at least three solid listens (headphones HIGHLY recommended). You'll be hooked and, really - it's simply lovely music when it's all said and done.

P.S. Here's a brief sidebar that never seemed to manage to work its way into this review: the whole shebang is apparently the work of a French DJ. I'd elaborate, but you clearly have Internet access - check the details. Viva la France, indeed!

A great effort and it's hard to beat that organ - not enough organ work anymore. Nice varied stuff, great grooves, and frost on my sunglasses might be the best song of the year.

I discovered this album and band through Pandora a few years ago. I lost the CD so hadn't listen to it in a while, but I've rediscovered it again recently, and I'm still loving it. Very cool funky playful musically rich electronica. Almost every song makes me want to dance.

Fun and funky abstract hip-hop by General Elektriks on their debut, CLIQUETY KLIQK. From the French "C'est L'Introduction" to "Frost on Your Sunglasses" (which has hints of Marsmobil-type 80s retro), there's always a sense of humor present. The rapid-fire lyrical rattle of "Facing That Void" never gets ponderous but stays bouncy, while Lateef lays into the mellow "Take You Out Tonight." "Brain Collage" pokes fun at our need for technological advancement. But it's the instrumentals that stand out: the noise and tiptoeing prance of "Central Park" or the children's record-sampling "Time to Undress" (which manages to make a daily activity sound smutty). "Terms and Conditions Apply" has a lulling whisper to it, whereas "Techno Kid" has a 60s psychedelia coursing through with a acid line. It may have its tongue firmly in cheek, but it's all the better for it.