Thursday, October 16, 2008
Speak My Language
The days when beatboxing was limited to a purely hip hop sound palette are long since behind us and where the likes of the UK's Beardyman has been wowing crowds at his live gigs with his ability to incorporate 4-4 techno workouts into his performances, a vocal contortionist from across the pond has taken this idea in a different direction by using his voice as a sound source from which he then crafts complete tracks.Dave Aju (real name Marc Barrite) has just released his first full length album, Open Wide and although the record has a more soulful and housey vibe than I typically go for, I can't help but be in awe of how such a varied collection of 'electronic' sounds can be produced from the ultimate in analog equipment (albeit that heavy digital processing has clearly been applied thereafter). Aju's ability to produce basslines as well as beats is what particularly impresses me but while the record as a whole makes pleasant listening it's the 'impure' bonus cut featuring Luciano and his box of studio toys that really elevates the release for me. Luciano's 11 minute remix of Crazy place blends 'real' instruments into the vocally produced sounds to delivery a constantly evolving dancefloor number and when it gets into full swing at the halfway mark I defy you to stand still or stop tapping out the beat on whatever's in the proximity of your headphones.
Dave Aju - Crazy Place (Luciano Remix) // Circus Company
Open Wide is available at Juno and Crazy Place (inc. the Luciano remix) is also available as a 12" although you may have to do a little digging for this as my usual haunts have sold out.
