Customer Reviews

Music Fiction

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

 

 

I personally find it very difficult to describe music in written words. I chose this album because I wanted something that combined jazz with downtempo beats. I found Rithma through an Amazon list of downtempo "must-have's". It has nice jazz licks, melodic lines that you will hum, and it's all expertly weaved into a beautiful album that will make you wonder if you are awake and listening or curled up in a comfortable bed just waking up from a beautiful dream.

I've already listened to this disc daily for the last ten days. Each time I listen, it sounds fresh and I hear new components that I didn't notice the other times. If you close to saying "I'll buy it", go for it.

First off...I'll admit that I'm really growing bored with a lot of what is going on in Electronica and Dance Music. So much what is being put out right now is just plain flat and lifeless. And, without genre-bashing, some undercurrents of electronic music are more guilty of this than others.

In this category, I would definitely put the funkified, shoe-gazy, trip-hoppy, jazzy, downtempo ilk. While there are notable superstars of this genre (say, Tricky, Portishead, Thievery Corp., Massive Attack, et. al.), much of what I'm hearing now is a rehash of earlier work that was often more interesting and clever the first time around.

One nice exception to this generalisation is Rithma. I am impressed with how adeptly they cover ground between the ponderous atmospherics of Biosphere and some of the quieter moments of Eric Truffaz, with the tension of Germans like Ulrich Shnauss and the legions of urban house funk beatsters.

While I think this is an uneven album overall, the highpoints are truly wonderful.

I can't wait to hear what they do next.

Rithma has been a part of OM (a San Francisco based label) for a while and this must be his finest moment to date! A lot of laid-back tracks on this CD's, some accompanied with vocals. It has a ery jazzy feel to it, maybe even a bit dubby. Great artwork on the cover. If you like Thievery Corporation, Royskopp and Groove Armada than this is worth listening too.

I usually only do reviews for albums that knock me over - this one doesn't but for several tracks that are brilliant. This album has a bit of an ethereal feel with interwoven jazz textures, electronica, and vocal splashes, but somehow is all really nicely tied together - Blade Runner meets Miles meets Daft Punk. 7 songs were amply iTunes-worthy, my favorite being "I Don't Mind". From the sleeve, this seems like a very young guy with kinda of a backyard/garage thing happening, so I think we can only look forward to bigger and better things from such a talented artist :o)

Nothing compares with this CD. I first heard it on XM dance and scratched down the name. From the start I thought maybe it was not an exact match for me. However, I had a long drive ahead and I decided to listen to the whole CD. The music was stress free, fun, nearly all musical and uplifting. It lends to a driving musical experience where you get home happy instead of tired. Where did the time go? The offerings on radio of high pitched or angst driven voices wear me out. This is cruising music and I keep it in my car CD slot. I just don't tire of Rithma.