Customer Reviews

Sci-Fi-Hi-Fi 1

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I actually purchased Luciano's Volume 2 of this series first, and then came back and found this one. They are both very different, as Luciano's is techno and minimal, and frequently devoid of melody, while this one is chock full of some very catchy house melodies. I must admit that after the first listen, I didn't enjoy it very much, as I don't usually listen to this type of house much lately. However, after the 2nd listen I was hooked by the superb mixing and the journey Ewan takes us through some simple yet very diverse sounds. There's just the right amount of electro to freshen up this standard deep house style. Vocals are prevalent, but are done cheese free and add just the right touch when needed. Not sure why this one got the title of Sci Fi Hi Fi, because there really isn't anything here to make it sound too spacey, barring a few electro jolts.

Overall, I enjoyed every track and it's a solid house mix, all the way through. Lots of slightly varying styles, but all remaining true to the standard house genre. While the Luciano CD is much closer to the Sci Fi title, this one is a good by no matter what it's called.

This is a nice deep house production. If you like this, check out the first full length CD for producer Quentin Allen as Karu. There are other 12" releases on Silver Network, Dadhouse, Winding Road, Mimosa & Smooth Agent. This CD is a very consistant production with a good blend of jazz, hip-hop, techno, neo-soul, and deep house all together. The beats are very crisp and sound good in the car, the house or the club. Some songs tastefully use vocal snippets to add flavor. There is even a track featuring Warren Harris aka Hanna (Shadow Records, Silver Network, Flat & Round, Freerange). If you want good quality deep house, this CD is for you.

Soma is an interesting label name for a company responsible for some pretty stellar electronic music. The word "soma" means sleep, but that's unlikely to happen if you put on this, the opening installment of their Sci.Fi.Hi.Fi. collection. Helmed by Ewan Pearson and given no constraints other than the ones self-imposed, this album is an addictive and tantalizing foray through minimal tech-house.

Ewan starts with a light, outdoorsy feel with Aminjig Nebere's "Clashing Egos" and then he slowly turns the sun down, making the set darker and dirtier until he hits a perfect (absolutely perfect) early climax with his and Usher's elektroniche dub of Feist's "Inside and Out." It's the perfect mix of glitter and gloom, an excellent mood setter for the rest of the record's delightfully grumpy glee.

Small problem, though: Pearson doesn't know how to incorporate vocals into his sound. "Summertime Cowboy," already bloated by whiney choral tones, has lackadaisical diva vocals that make it hard to take seriously. Likewise with Villalobos' "Easy Lee," which would be a dark tech bridge if it weren't for the distorted robo-voice grating away at the music. And he takes the ridiculous lyrics from "Don't Stop" and stretches them all the way back through the normally smoky/juicy "Pop Idle." "Let's just not talk about it," the off-key falsetto whines. "Yes," I wanted to say. "Stop talking."

Outside of this slightly clunky territory, the set picks up some nerve-scalding energy with Spirit Catcher's joyous "Key Generator," a song with a jittery tone that Pearson keeps revving up until it morphs into an arm-lifting glissando of sound. Climax #2. Pearson then toys with the energy through some gritty and noirish pieces. The set becomes a monster, Dr. Jekyll-style, when it enters the ironically named "I Love You," which Pearson cheekily follows up with "I Don't Want to Have Sex With You." Pearson finally figures out how to meld the vocals into the aural fabric of the piece, using Soldout's repetitive rejection as a way to amp the urgency of the piece.

Pearson apparently likes irony, because he slates Visconti's "I Wanna Be Your Everything" in the next spot. This song is cloaked in as much dark tenion as Soldout's, but the lyrics are like the vocal reciprocal. Well done, again, with the energy staying fresh and fun all the way through the closer, Da Fresh's "Broken Dream," a song that perfectly encapsulates the set: light, airy, but with a strong ominous undertone. Pearson wisely lets the song decay away into nothing, tying off the final strand of a wickedly danceable set with some truly transcendent moments.