23 seconds - cobblestone jazz

7.11.2007 von mk.

The unique trio Cobblestone Jazz use early computers and analogue instruments to create pared down sounds that retain the quality of improvisational jazz but with a techno dancefloor
aesthetic. Through a real-time exchange of musical form, language, and ideas, the Canadians Tyger Dhula, Mathew Jonson and Danuel Tate provide a continual sense of excitement and discovery for their audience.
All members of Cobblestone Jazz are successful musicians and producers in their own right, and the influence of each individual contributes greatly to the international success of the group. Tyger Dhula’s history as a DJ and producer of electronic music provides the stylistic platform for the group’s improvisations with his ability to break grooves up into their key elements, holding the music firmly within the electronic music tradition. Mathew Jonson brings a fervent commitment to pushing his music in new directions, as well as the gifted ability to mix and compose freely. Using analogue drum machines and synthesizers as his instruments of choice, Mat chooses to write and record his contributions in the moment, as opposed to settling for pre-configured patterns. Danuel Tate is the jazz musician and performer who prompted this approach to the group’s writing practices. His keyboard playing shows a rich understanding of modern harmony and melody, but, like many great artists, his dedication to simplicity is what holds him in such high regard.
Cobblestone have received critical acclaim since their 2002 debut release on underground label ItIsWhatItIs, with support coming from artists in all walks of electronic music; from Gilles Peterson and Theo Parish to Daniel Bell and Richie Hawtin. The last few years have seen them perform everywhere from fabric in London and Panorama Bar in Berlin to Mutek in Montreal and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. As a representation and celebration of how they make music, a Cobblestone Jazz performance showcases the musical outfit as a pragmatic and responsive unit, a living and breathing creation free of formulaic sequence, and offering one captivating perspective on the future of electronic music itself. ‘23 Seconds’ is their debut album.
Opening track of CD1, ‘Waiting Room’, paints a vast and unfamiliar landscape, sparsely populated with nebulous synth chords and beckoning vocoder traces. Twin-peaked lounge tones numb you in preparation. Recent 12″ release ‘Lime In Da Coconut’ is a potion brimming with transformation. Cobblestone approach a simple key melody from every angle imaginable, with the harmonies, disharmonies, bubbling accents and rhythmic permutations exposing the otherworldly potential of the simplest of tunes.
Album title track ‘23 Seconds’ sees the band doing ‘what they do best’. The skippy and swinging 101 is joined by the rhodes and vocoder to give it a really light and lazy feel, later permeated by a bubbling and loopy melody. In ‘Peace Offering’ you find a classic house feel accentuated by a rolling synth line, deep pads and shimmering percussion, creating a wonderful laidback but bumping groove. Finally, closing track of CD1, ‘W’ is currently riding roughshod across the worlds finest dancefloors thanks to its appearance on the latest Cocoon compilation. It’s perhaps the most uncharacteristic of the tunes on the album, drawing its influences from early trance.
CD2 features a live set recorded in Madrid (in Mondo, May 10th 2007) earlier this year and two Cobblestone classics (which have only been out on vinyl before). ‘Dump Truck’ was the standout hit of last year and the first release on their own Wagon Repair label. Simple percussion loops & non-sequenced synth provide a base, while a delayed Rhodes solo delivers a funk-fused groove. Finally the stunning ‘India In Me’ pulls us back to earth, submerging us deep in the ocean as electronic whales sing to each other in an undulating groove that is unmistakably Cobblestone Jazz.

Label: !k7 records

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