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artist.....: Lord Echo
album......: Curiosities
year.......: 2013
label......: Bastard Jazz Recordings
BJCD05
source.....: CDDA
moodswing..: Lo-Fi
releasesize: 75.25 MB
tracks.....: 10
length.....: 42:08
encoder....: VBR LAME 3.98.4 -v0
quality....: avg. 248kbps
scenealized: 04.24.2015
Bastard Jazz Recordings is proud to
present the sophomore album Curiosities
by New Zealand multiinstrumentalist and
producer Lord Echo (aka Mike Fabs). An
enticing sonic excursion that
effortlessly transcends genre and
geography, the release finds Echo
flexing his dual-mastery of 60's
production techniques and modern
dancefloor aesthetics, while also
highlighting the vocal prowess of his
soulful compatriots through a flowing
blend of boogie-laced Funk, disco-
primed Dub, futuristic Soul, and
timeless African rhythms.
Fabs, known worldwide for his
production work with NZ's biggest
Reggae export The Black Seeds, drew a
groundswell of excitement around his
debut solo album Melodies in late 2010.
The independent release became a cult
classic strictly through word-of-mouth,
championed by tastemakers like Gilles
Peterson (who played it repeatedly on
his BBC Radio 1 show), Oliver Wang
(Soulsides) and Richard Dorfmeister.
Re-issues of the album soon followed in
Japan and Europe, with vinyl copies
quickly becoming a hot commodity among
discerning collectors around the globe.
Echo was introduced to Bastard Jazz's
DJ DRM in 2011 (via Detroit producer
Recloose), and a limited 7" vinyl
release on the Brooklyn-based imprint
soon followed in 2012, precipitating
this full length release with the
label.
Curiosities picks up right where
Melodies left off, with the sun-
drenched psychedelic dub sounds of
tracks like "Bohemian Idol" (featuring
vocals by Toby Laing of Fat Freddy's
Drop), and the jerky funk vibes of cuts
like "Digital Haircut" and "Street
Knowledge". The album provides a wealth
of DJ fodder, with forward thinking
70s-inspired disco tunes such as
"Molten Lava" (featuring the soaring
vocals of Leila Adu), as well as analog
Afro-infused burners like "What Is That
Feeling" and "Put It In My Head"
(complemented by the golden-voiced Mara
TK of Electric Wire Hustle fame).
Down-home spiritual jazz/electronic
meanderings ("Ghost Hands",
"Arabesque") provide a counterpoint to
Echo's driving cover-version of the
Pharoah Sanders & Leon Thomas classic
"The Creator Has a Master Plan". His
inspiring take on the track is uplifted
by the soulful singing of Lisa Tomlins
(who's notable vocals on Echo's
rendition of Sister Sledge's "Thinking
Of You" made it a standout hit from his
Melodies album).
The finely-tuned collaborations
throughout Curiosities underscore Lord
Echo's pivotal position in thethriving
New Zealand music scene. "I generally
only work with people I know quite well
personally", says Echo humbly. That
personal and organic approach to
creating his music is revealed as the
album unfolds, layer by delectable
layer. "I made this record primarily
with DJs in mind," he continues. "They
are generally people who really love
music and are often obsessed with
various aspects of it. I'm not making
music for people for whom it's just
some background noise in their lives,
I'm making music for people for whom it
IS their lives. And for better or
worse, I guess I am one of those
people."
A diverse, yet grounded LP chock full
of head-turning sounds, Curiosities
further pushes Lord Echo's repertoire
into the realm of the inimitable, and
is sure to pique the interest of
discerning music lovers from down-under
to the big apple.
psst, more info at bastardjazz.com
01 Endless Dawn 02:41
02 Bohemian Idol 05:52
03 Digital Haircut 03:35
04 Street Knowledge 03:41
05 Molten Lava 04:18
06 Put It In My Head 06:06
07 The Creator Has A Master Plan 04:05
08 Ghost Hands 04:15
09 What Is The Feeling 03:23
10 Arabesque 04:12