Customer Reviews

Maim That Tune

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard to explain why this style e of music is called electronica in the first place, the only resemblance being the looped, rhythmic structure of the songs and the lack of brass instruments to call it jazz or singer to call it trip-hop. Labeling their music is equally as hard, it's been called chill out swing, downbeat, mellow jazz-funk, etc. So I'll let you label them and just describe their sound: Jazz guitar and looped, funky drums and bass, with a mixture of various instrumental snippets or samples on top. Sublime funk without the stoner vibe of most chill out music or instrumental hip hop.

The record itself? This was made in 1995 while still on the Pork Recordings label; in 2000 the two men from Hull, England formed their own label for subsequent releases. Now with seven albums to their name, this still stands as their most consistent and focused effort.

The tracks have their typically absurd names- "Extract of Pineal Gland" for example- and have extended lengths of seven to eleven minutes to keep you in a groove. Everything has a muffled or hushed sound to it and a mid-tempo speed, but despite these common elements the pieces have enough variety to hold your interest. Track 1 is almost a jam but keeps the heat down. "A Zed and Two L's" features soft Native American chanting, some tight drums and a nice crystalline melody. "At Home In Space" lulls you in with it's soft sounds before changing gears with funky drums and hand clapping. "6ft Wasp" has guitar feedback and a bit of breakbeat that underscores a Dennis Miller-style rant against marketing. Now at track 6 they try a little jazz-trance, slowly building up layers of loops and repetition into a crafty little piece. "Extract of Pineal Gland" is real lazy funk with prominent bass and even a few guitar notes (even though that instrument is So last century).

This is not a great album, though it is very good. You can find better albums of this sort out there in mixed CD form (such as Kruder & Dorfmeister's DJ Kicks) but you won't find a better collection of originally produced material. Fila Brazilla themselves have not been able to repeat the challenge of subtle, yet engaging, material heard here. So for setting a standard six years ago, this gets five stars.

I recently picked up the Fila Brazillia album "Maim That Tune" (a great play on words) based solely on the fact that almost everytime I bought a CD on Amazon, Fila's name would show up as one of those CDs that other customers bought in addition. So after a bit of investigation and reading customer reviews, i decided to go with Maim without hearing any of it, trusting my instincts as a music journalist and rabid fan of electronic music. I'm glad i took a chance. Fila Brazillia are highly underrated, and that's from only hearing one CD. I can't wait to pick up the rest of the group's catalog. And for an album that was released almost five years ago, "Maim" was definitely ahead of its time because it doesn't seem dated at all - a rarity in much of electronic music. For anyone who's a fan of Kruder & Dorfmeister, Thievery Corp., Nightmares On Wax, and similar downtempo music - as well as people who are open-minded about music - this is a great way to discover some amazing stuff. I definitely recommend gathering your "accessories" to "enhance" the listening experience, though it's not a requirement. "Maim" is all over the place, veering wildly from uptempo dancey tracks (don't be fooled by the name - not a whole lot of Latin sounds) to languid chill-out vibes. If you're looking for the latest four-on-the-floor techno groove, look elsewhere. Mature, excellent music for mature, excellent people.

This is FB's second album after New Codes, Old Chaos and for me, it is one of the most beautifully crafted albums I have ever experienced. From the very start the sounds cocoon you in their warmth and take you on a journey.This may sound like New Age dribble but it is the only way that I can describe it. Jazzy cords reverberate and repeat creating a slow trance-like effect as soothing "dubby" basslines perfectly complemented by ingenius percussion drive the tunes along. The late great Bill Hicks's tirade against the advertising world is used to great effect in the middle of the album just before Fila Brazilia kick in with a folk-trance barnstormer. Starsky and Hutch era pure funk pumps up in later tunes, bubbling beneath the surface of exotica. Don't expect anything fast, hard or intricate-just look forward to the fact that their brilliance lies in an uncomplicated arrangement that seems to calm the mind while funkin you up.

As always, the Fila boys deliver the goods!

This is an excellent cd, in the same style of any ESL or Thievery Corporation release. Kind of like Jazzanova meets Bobby Hughes meets Tosca meets Mo'Horizons meets Suba meets Bebel Gilberto meets Terranova meets the entire crew of the Ninja Tune label...

Well, you get the general vibe. It's laid back, down-tempo and smooth. Perfect for a smooth transition from evening into night...as you watch the sun set into the ocean as you sip your most cherished adult beverage...

Don't hesitate to get this one...and as a general rule of thumb, don't hesitate to get ANY Fila cd.

1 of the essential Down-tempo beat albums. Not essential just for being a good introduction to down-tempo music but rather that Fila have a feel few down-tempo or trip hop acts ever reguard. Fila seem to have fun doing what they do best, making funky and friendly rythems with an amazing amount of beats that at times sound genuinely live and charicteristic of jazz and funk. Often soothing and ambiant, teaming with songs that make a georgeous dreamscape Fila are a rare gem for electronic music yet sound very organic at times. This album is one of thier finest.

Every following Fila album shows just how much this duo has to give(especially the ever amazing PowerClown). Fila offer a kind of emotion that goes very easily digested at times so much fun and at times beat driven enough to make you step back and "wow"
as you notice you have the urge to dance like a freak!

Fila Brazillia rock its as simple as that. Please see also "Power Clown" for a whole other look at this amazing duo.

I first stumbled on to Fila Brazilia on a 'Groove Salad' stream playing Phosphorus' "Asthma (Fila Brazillia Mix)" from their excellent "Brazilification - Remixes 95-99" album (which covers remixes for artists like Radiohead, the Irresistable Force and David Byrne).
They are definitly a rare and under-rated band in my opinon. They are incredibly eclectic in their influence and tastes as the "Anotherlatenight" (a compilation chillout album) shows. What impresses me is that they are able to make such quirky yet smooth, atmospheric music without sounding contrived. It's electronic but yet strangely touching, and natural.
They are one of the few groups that's able to cut into something like 'downtempo' and make a very distinct signature in their music -- without covering old ground. I can definitely tell their tracks apart. These definitely hold up well to repeated listening, and they have a very pleasant mellow vibe to their music without swaying too far in any direction but their own.
Oh, and my the way the rant at the end of "6 Ft Wasp" (White Anglo Saxon Protestant?) was the brilliant and venerable Bill Hicks, whom this album was dedicated to. Sellout Dennis Miller couldn't have touched him with a 10ft GOPole. ;)

The first time I heard A Zed and Two L's it was 5am after partying all night and it was pure bliss! There's a lot of junky electronica out there but Fila Brazilia surpasses being categorized as that - they're a style all their own. Its a trippy, jazzy mix with bits of jungle. Fila's melodies come without the droning beats of techno. I recommend this for those people who doubt the talent of non-instrumental musicians. My Fila Brazilia CD is a treasure.

Let me tell you, the first Fila tune I heard was "At Home in Space" on a net-radio. Impressed is an understatement. This album is my favorite Fila album yet. Magnificent tunes and grooves that leave you chilled !!! What else can I say ???

Mess, the second album from the Fila Brazillia boys, has all the properties that you would expect (and hope for!). "A Zed and Two L's" is a bass-laden jam that switches tempo towards the end, but is complemented throughout by African chanting. "At Home in Space" glides by on a flute, moving through various stages. That is exactly what's so great about Fila Brazillia -- instead of endless noodling, their tracks have an actual shape and move according. Sure, they indulge themselves occasionally, but, for the most part, they're tight. "Slacker" goes back into house mode, while "Extract of Pineal Gland" has jazzed-up piano chords all throughout. "Subtle Body" closes the album on a simple and beatless note. Outstanding.

I have just dug into this album, some twelve years after its original release. It is amazingly fresh, both in its sampling (african melodies, strings over synthscapes) and mixing of genres (downtempo-midtempo, an occasional foray into DnB, smart breaks) and certainly one of the best downtempo albums I have ever heard. Timeless.