Customer Reviews

Suzuki

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tosca is the fun side-project of Austrian artists Rupert Huber and Richard Dorfmeister, whom you might know more from his work alongside Peter Kruder in DJ/producer/remix team Kruder & Dorfmeister. Tosca has been together since 1994, and 'Suzuki' (released in Feb. 2000) comes as their most recent full-length album, though you can also catch a number of extremely good albums of remixes taken from both her albums, 'Opera' and this one.

As for 'Suzuki' it's hard to take a pick. "Pearl In-Suzuki" is an amazing intro into the album and into a mood by itself. "Annanas" and "Busenfreund" are super-contagious, and the list can go on and on. It's an album that you can very easily read or work to, given its downbeat (at times almost Bossanova-like), chillout sound to it. Very highly recommended. If you enjoy them, also check out obviously Kruder & Dorfmeister, Zero 7, Air and Thievery Corporation.

The smoothest treble, the funkiest bass, and all manner of silky, sliding beats and noises in between give this Tosca album a style and quality yet to be reproduced by the duo.

After hearing tracks from this album and "Opera," on the internet radio station Monkey Radio, I felt it was my duty to find out who this mysterious 'Tosca' was. Turned out it was made up of Richard Huber and the latter half of Kruder & Dorfmeister, a duo for which I already had much respect. The choice of Opera and Tosca was a tough one, but after listening to both, I can say Tosca is the more solid effort.

Though not as gritty as Opera, Suzuki effortlessly moves through many worlds of sound, keeping a consistently funky beat going for each song. Each song on this album has a beat that will creep into your head without knowing it, and before long you'll know which beat, rhythm, and theme goes with each song on the album.

Even though Dehli 9, Tosca's next original album after this, contains two CDs, don't let twice the CDs fool you. With a second disc containing what sounds like Huber hungover, stammering on the piano for an amazing beat similar to what opens and closes Suzuki, Dehli 9 boils down to one CD with some good highlights, but overall a drag for the latter half.

If you're picking and choosing for the Tosca album to be happiest with, and don't mind missing out on Opera's Chocolate Elvis, Suzuki will keep you in a very happy place for a very long time.

After seriously digging Peter Kruder's Peace Orchestra I was intrigued to know what Richard Dorfmeister was doing. Tosca is Dorfmeister teaming up with Rupert Huber to produce down tempo at it's finest. This is an album which is excellent to chill out to. Great drum beats, snippets of vocals and a polished feel over all. If you enjoy down beat electronic sound, this is a must have.

...back when i was coming up, groups like kraftwerk and art of noise were as much a part of the hip-hop community as afrika bambaata or mantronix...sadly, true hip-hop is no longer that diverse (take a moment to pour your favorite libation here)...anyway, this cd right here is pretty damn good especially honey, boss on the boat, ocean beat, the key and doris dub. this aint no where near hip-hop, there is no hard, edgy beats to be found here and it's not jazz, but some of the tracks had wes montgomery's "angel" feel to it.
...tosca keeps things interesting by introducing a variety of sounds and melodies every so often instead of locking onto any one particular beat and looping it for an entire song.
...if you're anything like me, and you're looking for something completely different outside of your usual listening standards, then this downtempo thing right here aint too bad a place to start.

i first came across this cd in a small record shop in camden town, and i had this uncontrollable urge to listen to it. just having listened to the first two tracks, i spent my final 15pounds on it, and never regretted doing so. this cd is nowhere near the usual k&d sound. it's just that the producer of this album is richard dorfmeister, and i must admit that it's a tremendous work. acoustic drums accompanied by absent vocal echos, smooth pads, groovy outcome. a must.

Richard Dorfmeister takes a short hiatus from K&D to collaborate with Rupert Huber on their second effort, "Suzuki." I have not listened to their first("Opera")so I cannot compare the two. What I CAN do is compare it to Dorfmeister's collaboration with Peter Kruder. In this respect it falls short.

Unlike reviewers before me, I think Pearl In (track 1) is entirely appropriate. It pearls in (pun intended) to the rest of the disc and at the end (Pearl Off) is the perfect backdrop to the music, creating a well-rounded sound.

The Disc itself showcases the innovative and mixing talents of the two artists (now I know who contributes the dubbing/echoing sounds on K&D's music). The tracks are mostly average with a few standouts: Suzuki, Honey, Boss on the Boat, and Ocean Beat. Others fall short of the completely mellow sound that we, or rather, I, have come to expect from talents of Dorfmeister's caliber.

I like the CD, but I was expecting more, hence the 4 star rating. Still, if you want the complete collection of the artists' work, go ahead and buy it. In retrospect, you will come to enjoy the entire experience.
:-)

Much more sensual, ambient, and accessible than their previous album Opera, Suzuki really cooks up a storm: The beats are bright; the melodies are moving; and the production glistens with electronic brilliance. Likewise, the vocals are more sparse and act more as a sexy form of rhythm rather than the hip-hop influenced grooves of its predecessor.

Not to say that Suzuki is devoid of groove...in fact, the beats here are even more catchy and consistent throughout the whole album. Tracks like "Orozco" and "Honey" conjure up images of alien models strutting down the catwalk donning the latest in Milan spaceware, all legs and attitude. "Busenfreund" rolls along like cloudy, timelapse skyscapes over a Viennese mountainscape, while "Doris Dub" actually makes the listener feel as if they are sinking deeper and deeper into a giant illuminated cavern of carbonated water.

The perfect album for both lulling you to sleep and for waking up to, as the picture on the cover would suggest. Highly recommended for fans of smooth and playful downbeat grooves.

It's a shame that the record industry offers us nothing for those over the age of seven. So, I'm on a personal quest to find new, interesting sounds made by actual musicians. A few new things that are actually quite good and creative have gotten my attention.
Suzuki by Tosca is a fabulous album for those sharing my quest. If not, the music is cool anyway and worth a listen. Hip-hop, jazz, ambient and techno never sounded this good all mixed together for some unique grooves.
I also recommend my two other discoveries for those seeking new music, not necessarily all of the same genre: Dancing in Dreams by Barbarian Lovers and Dark Adapted Eye by Danielle Dax.
Hopefully, these will make your search worthwhile.

Tosca's Suzuki is not breaking any ground, but by God they have mastered the art. This album is just so professional sounding, very nicely produced. This is how I envision trance to sound like, so much garbage out there it taked a while to sift through and find a golden little record like this. Funky bassbeats and killer sounds. It's what they call ethereal....I think. It flows so well from track to track, quite the odyessy in under an hour.

It seems that the duo of Kruder and Dorfmeister just refuse to make an album of their own material. But we'll forgive them for now if their side projects are like this. Dorfmeister, with Rupert Huber, spin a lively mix of tranquil sounds and lively smooth beats to help you drift an hour away. While these 12 tracks are somewhat lacking in innovation (most feature chilled drum loops, a few chords, and a stuttery sample or breathy vocal) they make up for in consistency. And a few rise to excellence- "Honey" will most likely gain the most attention thanks to a seductive croon throughout, it's tracks like "Annanans" with its floaty melody that shine brighter. Heck, they even turn it up half a notch now and then ("Boss on the Boat", "the Key"- one of the mediocre tracks.)

If you want a languid, late-night set, you'll be generally pleased with this, and it's a safe pick-up for the K & D fan.