From: Charles Prince <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Rhythm Droid <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
CC: 313@hyperreal.org
Subject: [313] Jeff Lorber...the Missing Link?
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 18:57:32 -0400
Cool to hear someone else is into JL, a true muso's muso...though the
further
back you go with his releases, the better they get. In the late 70s & in
the
80s he did some great, soulful stuff, full of intricate horn arrangements
&
life-affirming, machine-driven jazz funk. I've often thought he might
perhaps
be an unrecognized influence on Detroit techno, never having received the
kind
of notice reserved for Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Herbie Hancock, YMO, etc.,
or
to a lesser extent, George Duke. His keyboard chops are phenomenal on
these
early recordings, yet there's also a melodic, melancholic vibe, an
unspoken
yearning present that lifts much of the material to a new, proto-techno
level;
that same moody feel you can hear, for instance, in Carl Craig's "Domina"
remix
or Kenny Larkin's masterful "Without." Something about those chords...
A lot of it may be down to the equipment--trying to squeeze new sounds &
emotions out of circuitry that's only just up to the task. On his 1984
'Step by Step' album, Lorber lists: Yamaha DX1, KX1, DX7, Oberheim OB8,
Xpander,
DSX, Emulator II, Cooper Midi Interface & Disk drive, Wave 2,3 Waveterm,
Rockman, Linndrum, Simmons, SDS7, SDS8, & Minimoog. The sounds &
syncopated
rhythms (aided throughout by tricky panning techniques), remind me not
only
of
May's classic material, but also of some of Hakan Lidbo's fresh 'Tech
Couture'
tracks. And "Step by Step," the title track, with Audrey Wheeler on lead
vocals
--powered by a relentless, chunky synth bassline--finds a strong echo in
Recloose's wickedly deep'n'funky remix of Herbert's "Leave Me Now," as
well.
Anyway, the best Jeff Lorber Fusion releases are pretty rare now, & his
rather
bland-sounding recent output mostly lacks that techno-soul longing for the
ineffable. If you ever have a chance, though, take a decent listen (on a
good
system), to "Pacific Coast Highway" off 'Step'...4'42" seconds of pristine
musical bliss that (re)maps mind & body into the sweetest of
configurations.
Wes
On Sun, 22 Apr 2001, Rhythm Droid wrote:
> *Squarepusher- Port Rhombus (Warp)
> *Derrick May- Icon (Montage Mix?) (Transmat)
> *Aril Brikha- Read Only Memory (Transmat)
> *Aril Brikha- Groove La Chord (Tranmat)
> *The Jeff Lorber Fusion- Rooftops (Arista)
> *The Jeff Lorber Fusion- City (Arista)
> *Hi Tek 3 feat. Ya Kid K - Spin That Wheel (yeah, so shoot me, it's
from
my
> childhood
> *Ryuichi Sakamoto- BTTB
> *YMO- Yellow Magic Orchestra (?)
> *Model 500- Ocean to Ocean (Transmat Classics)
>
> somebody else on this list digs Jeff Lorber, too, who was that?
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