JT, it's so simple... You're wrong. JUST KIDDING!! If everyone liked the same stuff the world would be as boring as a 7 hour John Aquaviva DJ set... ok whatever but you know what I mean. ;)
Disclaimer: this is not an attempt to get you to like it (a pointless exercise to anyone for any reason) but more of the reasons why I see merit in this .. and others of his records. I like Amp Fiddler because it's not techno or house but it has the elements of detroit sound that I like to hear in other music I listen to. It's funny you use jazz as a reference cause that's the last thing I would have likened it too. I like the songwriting. I would classify it as 'r&b' or 'soul' before I would think of it as jazz, but wherever you come from is how you relate and describe things so whatever, that's pretty moot point anyway. I also know very little about jazz compared to most, so maybe I don't have the same distaste as a more typical jazz head might. I also think when you take a mouthful of something and spit it out immediately (judging from your reaction that seemed to be the case?) You might have written it off wholesale without looking a little further. I like Freakin, reminds me of a cut you'd hear coming out of someone's trunk at a BBQ in the summer, recalls a Fatback or SOS Band vibe almost. I like the lyrics to "love and war"... didn't hear any scat myself. The keys playing I find interesting, moreso than the rhythms... the piano keys in 'love and war' I think are great and moody. Did you listen to the electronic synth parts in "freakin'" ? Crazy analogue sounds and squiggles and synth farts, etc. It's just a fresh little summer jammy jam, I don't see anything generic in it.. the solo is nuts! Or if nothing else, fun and groovin.. not a whole lot else to think for me. I agree the KDJ version was a bit of a let-down.. if you want better examples of that check the Mahogani or KDJ collaborations (DOH - too late you bought this one!) ;) Maybe the expectations where too weird but I also don't think that much about it, I liked the grooves, a summertime kind of sound and the man has a lot of talent on the keys and I like the sound of his voice myself too. The beats I think could be better compared to other elements of his productions, but we'll see what happens in the future... Maybe Amp just needs some $tinkworx beats to liven it up!! PS - I love Detroit Experiment as one of the "whole greater than the sum of the parts" thing, each track is a little different and the crazy influences do come out individually AND collectively (to me). Midnight at Twenty Grand!! It seems to be the trendy thing now with a lot of techno heads to dislike where Carl is going on the jazz collective tip and I'm not havin it... music needs to expand, the detroit sound is way to wide to stay pegged in a single genre. I'm glad people are going for it. Peace, Matt MacQueen PS - Speaking of... Now I gotta go drive to Dusty Groove and pick up the new Dwele LP: >From DustyGroove.com - sparkling debut from Detroit's Dwele -- a sweet vocalist in the Donny Hathaway tradition, but with a tight, beat heavy soul sound that glides between 70s soul jazz, mellowed-out Jay Dee synth hop groove, and the natural soul vibe ?uestlove brings to his productions! We first caught wind of Dwele on Slum Village's "Tainted" single, and that's a good indication of the sound you'll find on the debut. Mellow, trippy keys and sound washes drench the album from beginning-to-end, with Dwele's often deeply layered vocals weighing the bright, modern groove aspects of the sound with a rich sense of soul history. There's a slight 70s soul jazz vibe, too, in spots -- a sophisticated studio groove with bright bass and some sunny, soulfully strummed electric guitar. Dwele finds some truly nice middle ground between the natural soul scene, modern groove, and the mellower beats and grooves of the best Detroit hip hop of recent years -- a scene that Dwele indeed was a player in before finding his soul muse. Great stuff -- similar enough to some of his contemporaries -- but still wholly unique in Dwele's embrace of a bright, sunny, polished sound that still manages to maintain naturally soulful grit and grease! The title track is a classic -- crackly, thumping beats, sweetly chiming keys, and capital M Moody vocals -- and many others are nearly as strong! Includes "Hold On", "Find A Way", "Day At A Time", "Kick Out Of You", "Sho Ya Right", "Lady Mahogany", Money Don't Mean A Thing", and more. 10 tracks on the LP. -----Original Message----- From: J. T. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2003 4:42 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 313@hyperreal.org Subject: Re: (313) amp fiddler love&war >the "if you stand for nothing, youll fall for anything" bit. its >certainly not a straight up vocal track..... ahh yeah i didnt hear that...i wasnt payign that much attention i guess >im not calling it fresh, but its definitely distinctive. i could >pick an amp track out of a lineup easily. its definitely not generic. no - you like it. i wouldnt say its definitely not generic! because it is to me...call me picky, whatever... >im also pretty unsure why this has to do with jazz. amp played because it's jazzy. i dont think its that hard to figure out. i'm not saying it has to be in 5/8 time or anything. >with george clinton for like a decade. he makes funky music. there >might be some jazziness to it, but he wasnt trying to make a jazz >record. i do like the basslines..but i wouldnt call this stuff funky exactly..obviously this stuff is not straight up jazz...like...duh :P >the detroit experiment certainly wasnt meant to be a jazz record >either though! obviously the inclusion of jazz players gives it a >good dose of jazzy flavor, but theres also a good dose of hiphop, >techno, and funk in there, which is why its the "detroit >experiment" and not the "detroit jazz record". i love me some man you deserved to be slapped with a fish for that...come on!! gimme a freakin break. jazz stopped having to be all trumpets and odd time signatures 40 years ago. does nitpicking over genre name really have any point? >lp is really quality, and their performance at movement was >absolutely fantastic. i didnt make it to movement...i would've dug it live i'm sure, but live music is easier to like. i dig some music i'd otherwise be way more critical of when i see it live. >i think theyre definitely 2 different fish: russ's stuff is >definitely leaning more towards jazz than amp's stuff is. true, but...its just taste i guess, the elements i pick up on in amp seem wishywashy and artificial like msg to me. whatever. im not trying to get personal, it justa int my thing..at all....is that OK?? thank you!! jt _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. 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