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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, Surprising, Inspirational....and just flat out amazing!!!,
By fetish_2000 (U.K.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Life Styles: Laurent Garnier (Audio CD)
For someone that has been involved in the many aspects of music (Producer/Compiler/DJ), Laurent has covered the many aspects of Dance music across his various albums (House, Techno, Acid House, Electronica), so any new album from the legendary DJ is undoubtedly likely to be a foray into music almost exclusively for the dancefloors, right??....Wrong!!! This series of compilation albums from the 'Harmless' label encourages the compilers (in this case, Laurent), to sidestep the music that they are widely known for, and concentrate on tracks that have either (A) Influenced them , (B) Are particular favourties, throughout their lives, and outside their chosen field. So for this album, Dance music is largely out, and genres as diverse as: Post-Punk, Jazz-funk, Folk-Rock, Latin, Film Soundtracks, Funk, Northern Soul, Rhythm & Blues, are all featured here, with many tracks featuring the sort of rhythmic percussion that Laurent would go on to adopt in his own music.
The opening track, is the gorgeously pastoral and nostalgic "T.B. Sheets" by "Van Morrison", as is the Case with Van Morrison, when he's on form, its a superbly confident fusion of R&B, jazz, blues, and Celtic folk, one that is steadfastly exuberant and passionate, yet Gentle and insular and occasionally inward looking. Morrison has created a great many memorable tracks in his career, this is amongst my favourites. Post-Punk gets a surprising inclusion, courtesty of "Liquid Liquid's" sublime percussion attack of "Lock Groove (In)", Think thickly fluid basslines and circular rhythms, coupled with astonishing hypnotic tinny drum patterns and you're halfway to understanding why the act has such a revered underground following. And arguably an influence on the sort of percussion heavy tracks, that Laurent made his name by. Any Compilation that features Krautrock legends "Can", cannot be completely without merit, and the complex, freewheeling and experimental approach of their music constantly captures new audiences/Listeners, and the almost rhythmic-centric feel is still amazing some 30 years later, with insistent drums, and wonderfully playful drums, and can one minute be subdued and then fiery and sprawling the next, with Singer "Damo Suzuki'" charismatically yelling, singing, & harmonising...that proves to be as equally (if not more) important than the rumbling guitars and floating midsection....a truly classic track in every sense of the word. This is after surging into the sleazy, provocative and theatrical cabaret-funk of "Serge Gainsbourg's - En Melody", which is a gloriously overblown piece of instrumental funk (with added 'Moans' & 'Groans', and a sleazily seductive voiceover), with 'Wah-Wah' guitar perfectly summarising the mood (think 'Porno flick' music), its also one of those all too brief songs, that you shouldn't like (in Theory) but manage to leave you wanting more. Jazz is obviously a particular favourite of Laurent's, even so far as to feature elements of it in his work, and so the legendary "Miles Davis" features on this compilation, with his moody electric trumpet Afro-centric "Black Satin", that is unlike his earlier more conventional works, this is rhythmically brooding and gritty jazz, steeped heavily in African/ world music arrangements, hand bells shimmer, and uncompromising locked almost angular sound begins to take hold, and the weird time signatures and modal sounds to sit in-amongst hypnotic grooves, that feel darkly oppressive and almost hostile, those unfamiliar with exactly how diverse Miles Davis' music actually went, may get caught off-guard by this one, it has that moody conformational edge about it, that is immediately noticeable. (and those that are really paying attention, will detect / notice, that this was most likely a huge inspiration of Laurent's sublime: "The Man With The Red Face" track). Vocal Jazz and blues-jazz, are faithfully represented here by "Nina Simones", aggressive and fiery live performance of "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter", and sees a seething Nina in full finger-pointing glory, minimal piano, and brushed drum, with the percussion more in line with a paired down "Fela Kuti" orchestrated band arrangement, gathering pace musically before the big pay-off, lurching into a fierce rousing and celebratory African-funk composition, before settling back down again, over which the way, Nina pouring vocal scour on an opponent with astonishing ease. Her ability to take a song/idea and make it her own, was arguably only matched by the heady heights of people such as: "Marvin Gaye", "Aretha Franklin"....stunning and powerful at the same time. The last track on this thoroughly eclectic compilation, is the End theme for "John Carpenter's - Assault on Precinct 13", a superbly gloomy piece of instrumental filmic synth work, with droning, bleak keyboard and funeral paced ominous sounds effects, its an unusual track to end with, but a fantastic addition nonetheless, and highlights Laurent's keenness to occasionally think outside the box, and make this release, more that just a standard compilation. Laurent fans looking for the stylishly hypnotic techno, that has rocked many a nightclub, won't find it here. But then, this compilation was never designed for those people...instead this is more of a musical insight into the influences of one of Techno musics most respected figures. And it's his musical influences that prove to be the most surprising aspect of this compilation. His musical tastes are not only truly excellent, but far ranging in the diversity of genres, and show that Laurent has a considerable ear for a great song, irrespective of its genre. And more interestingly show (if you listen closely enough), how most of these tracks in someway, shape or form, how had an impact on his own music productions. The 'Life:Styles' series of compilation how consistently throw up, albums to have surprised, as to exactly how wide ranging and eclectic the music is of these musicians are....offering up not only long forgotten classics, but rare / lost gems that we'd have probably never come across, without an album such as this. A perfect example of how sublime compiling can make albums equally as important as standard studio releases. Essential
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