Customer Reviews

Konfusion [Vinyl]

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

 

 

If you are in search of an unusual jazz based audio trip, then this fellow can give your head a spin. It's a magical endeavor into a rarely acclaimed style: trip jazz. It's a fusion of break beats, cymbal riding paces accompanied by soft brass. You'll hear Billy Holiday whispers (Break in), more frantic beats and fake old style organ keyboards (1958), a heavy classic bass and powerful drums, (Flying officer), tripping James Brown like coolness (Hiperbole), a game of awkward sounding notes and vocals with subtle but deranging sax (Deep Breath), bongos and a rough ride cymbal (Split), second line drumming (Low, by the great Amalgamation of Soundz) and even has the funkiness of late 70s bad TV cop shows (Test Drive, Seaweed). The exploration can reach some dead ends if you are not used to multiple and quite complex breaks (Wooden Toy) but that's precisely the interest, and the courage of this group. The style is absolutely contemporary and will certainly appeal to the lovers of trip hop, DJ Cam, Bristol sound, but also to those seeking to refresh their references in jazz fusion and even simply classic jazz (late Coltrane). The trip it takes you on will, I hope invite you to seek more avenues in your audio experience.

I'd like to echoe the sentiments of the reviewer who compared this album to amon tobin's permutation (similar use of basslines on certain tracks).

however, amon tobin differs in that the drum n bass influence is much heavier on his songs...his stuff sounds more sinister too, the overall feel here is much more similar to cinematic orchestra (which is a good thing)

it would be more accurate to describe konfusion as a cross between amon tobin, cinematic orchestra and dj krush

if you like the styles from those artists (dark atmospheric beats w/ a touch of jazz elements), this album is right up your alley. highly recommended, get it if you can find it

If you listened to the first Skalpel album and were as impressed as I was, then there is no reason to not purchase Konfusion. It's worth it too because you get a whole other CD of remixes that are equally crushing. Skalpel has nailed that sweet spot between electronic and jazz. Anyone that I play this around, no matter what their musical tastes, loves Skalpel. Enjoy!

If you liked "Amon Tobin - Permutation" this album is basically a must-get for you. It has that oldschool drum n' base unique jazzy ambient flavor that you just can't get enough of. Keep in mind that its mostly instrumental, but non-repetitive. Let me repeat, if you liked "Permutation" this album is a must-have. Actually, this album is a must have for any music-fan that appreciates quality.

I first bought this album by suggestion, after bringing up Cinematic Orchestra's "Live at the Barbican" to a friend. I hadn't heard the self-titled record, and though "Konfusion" was a good listen, I was a little turned off of this album at first. I was listening to a lot of Cinematic Orchestra, Sixtoo, Jaga Jazzist, Roots Manuva, and Antipop Consortium and wanted more of that particular style, shifting more into electronic and hip hop, and this record just didn't fit it, so I put it on the shelf for a couple of months. The same friend bought me a copy of the self-titled album, so I listened to them both, and realized that my perception of this band at first listen was wrong.

Skalpel takes a moderately traditional approach to jazz (at least, via NinjaTune and Busted Ear) with deep, booming basslines, slick, funky percussion and soft distortions when absolutely necessary. This is a phenomenal release, one with great musicianship and definately a gem of its genre. I've heard it compared to Medeski Martin and Wood, whom I also enjoy, but Skalpel is much slicker than MMW, and their love of creating jazz is more apparent. When they make a record, they mean it. This is a fantastic album to hang out in the park on a nice spring day, drink a bottle of wine and enjoy the breeze. I think I'd rate the two albums the same in quality, they're both amazing examples of Jazz and what it's become, "Konfusion," however, I found to be just a pinch bit funkier. Enjoy it at high volume.

Being in the mood for future and nu-jazz, I throw on Skalpel into my rotations. Igor Pudlo and Marcin Cichy are the crate diggers out of Wroc'aw, Poland. Juxtaposing lifted jazz memories from old Polish records (circa 1960-70) along the broken beats sourced from the same material, Skalpel lays out a path much often traveled, but rarely with a precision of a GPS-like time shift. The music flows naturally while holding on to its history rooted hooks and jabs. The instrumental loungy sound borders funky trip-hop, but is undeniably jazz infused with samples of Hammond, saxophones, and laid back drum strolls. Konfusion is Skalpel's second album on Ninja Tune, following along the heels of their 2004 full length debut, self titled Skalpel. I really like this quote from label's page : "Very much one for jazzers, beat heads and strong cigarette smokers, Konfusion is an album to soundtrack your espresso breaks and to play so that you don't have to read Jean Paul Sartre." The sixties and seventies were pretty tough on the Polish folk. With the Communist party of the Soviet Union instituted over the government in a post WWII country, free expression, especially American influenced jazz music, was somewhat of an underground movement. Skalpel performs a tremendous service to the audiophiles around the world by resurrecting dusty sound of artistic freedom. Recommended if you like Jaga Jazzist, Bonobo, Amon Tobin, Unkle, and DJ Vadim. Break this one out for another spin if you missed it on the first cycle.

I might be in the minority here (if previous reviews are anything to go by), but I found this to be a decidedly lacklustre affair.

The idea is definitely there; resting somewhere in between The Cinematic Orchestra and DJ Shadow. But there is a complete lack of originality and musicianship in Konfusion that sticks out like a sore thumb. The samples and loops are unimaginative and poorly executed, and none of the pieces seem to move in any tangible direction.

The only thing I can say in defence of Skalpel's efforts is that your appreciation of the album may well depend on which lens you choose to view it through. If we accept that this is an attempt at jazz meets hip-hop, then you could be left with two very different appraisals. From the jazz angle, it is lazy, unpolished, and lacking in direction. From the hip-hop angle, however, it surpasses the production values usually associated with the genre by several miles. Hip-hop (in it's commercial form, at least) is a very lazy genre from a musical point of view. Samples and loops are often cheap, and are commonly derived entirely from previously existing material. Dr. Dre made millions off his 'Next Episode' single, and the entire backing track was knocked off from David McCallum's 'The Edge'.

Although this concession might shed some light on Skalpel's apparent success, from a un-biased, genre-free perspective, this is a lazy effort worth nothing more than a casual glance. And if you don't believe me, have a listen to The Cinematic Orchestra's first album, Motion. The method is exactly the same; samples, live instrumentation, jazz meets hip-hop sensibility.. But the creativity and musicianship on that album leaves Skalpel's efforts for dead.

Skalpel rounds out any library that contains The Cinematic Orchestra (especially "Motion") or Amon Tobin ("Permutation" or "Supermodified"). They belong alongside live and studio jazz material the likes of Davis and Coltraine. Jazz has always been about interpretation and Skalpel does some razor-fine sampling here that makes your ears listen twice and think to themselves "is that real?". Well, of course it's REAL in that it was taken from real-world samples. But the way that Skalpel arranges these bits and bytes is something wholly new. I also love that the rhythmic section often goes off meter, which gives it a live-played feel.