___________
_\ //__
___|_____ /
_\\ ' | // mbs!
_____________| |_______| ______
_\\ |' ' _ /.\ _/______
| . _ | . / /||__ //
:___\\-------|____| \| |_ :/ / | / /--------//___:
-||- |_____\\ |____\________\ | / / -||-
'| |_________\ :/ /. -bC! |'
| |_ ' | |
| music for body and soul |______________________|| |
| |
.| |
-|-------------------- - |
|| release infos |
'| |
| |
| + artist ........... Omar-S |
| + album ............ Just Ask The Lonely |
| + label ............ FXHE |
| + cat .............. none |
| + year ............. 2005 |
| + genre ............ House |
| + source ........... CDDA |
| + quality .......... VBRkbps / 44,1Khz / Joint-Stereo |
| + release date ..... 02.05.2005 |
| + size ............. 99,9 MB |
| + link ............. www.discogs.com/release/393104 |
.| |
-|-------------------- - |
|| tracklist |
'| |
| |
| 01.Intro 01:29 |
| 02.Jit 09:48 |
| 03.I Love U Alex 05:51 |
| 04.Strider's World 08:33 |
| 05.Congaless 07:33 |
| 06.Just Ask The Lonely 10:26 |
| 07.100% House 06:18 |
| 08.Track #8 08:23 |
| 09.A Victim 04:01 |
| 10.Out Of Control 07:49 |
| |
| |
| (t!) total 70:11 min |
| |
.| |
-|-------------------- - |
|| release notes |
'| |
| |
| The first time you listen to Omar-S (Alex Smith), especially his |
| debut solo album for his own FXHE Records, you're going to be |
| confused. Which is to say, it's the possibly the most original |
| avant techno/house album released so far this year. Take it from |
| Smith himself: "You can not copy Omar-S style. You can only copy a |
| song that has already been produced by Omar-S." |
| |
| But if you didn't believe him, let's go straight to the magnetic |
| tape: "Jit," the proper opening track on Just Ask The Lonely |
| sounds for nearly a minute as though your headphones aren't |
| properly inserted into the jack. A tiny melody that seems to be |
| anchored with nothing but itself rides uncomfortably alongside a |
| two-note digital noise. Finally the beat comes in to make sense of |
| it all, pounding its way into your consciousness over the track's |
| ten-minute length, while elements weave in and out of the mix, |
| seemingly pulled out of thin air when the need arises. |
| |
| Things aren't helped with "I Love U Alex," which rarely even |
| brings a beat up high enough into the mix for listeners to hold on |
| to. Instead a disembodied female singer repeats a few lines about |
| her love for Alex, leaving for a cigarette break during the |
| moments that the beat comes in. It's a neat trick, actually, and |
| sidesteps the innate structure that pervades dance music's more |
| epic compositions. |
| |
| Much like Moodymann and Theo Parrish, Omar-S is concerned with |
| things hidden and the idea of fading. As evidenced by tracks like |
| "I Love U Alex" and "Jit," sleight of hand and the confusion of |
| expectations is of paramount importance. But along with those two |
| pillars of the Detroit music scene, Omar-S is not above giving in |
| to the basic needs of the people when the mood strikes him. |
| |
| Case in point is the title track, a ten-minute journey into the |
| world of deep house that never once become boring even though |
| nearly the only thing is changing is the timbre of the beat and |
| the effects put on the piano loop. The same goes for the following |
| track, "100% House," although it's slightly more maximal in feel |
| there's hardly anything going on here in terms of actual elements. |
| |
| To say that Smith, then, is a master of production is probably an |
| understatement. Working with so few tracks and controlling the |
| crowd is a challenge-just ask Daft Punk who did it so craftily on |
| Homework, only to fall flat on their face with Human After All. |
| And just like those Parisians and their debut album, Just Ask The |
| Lonely should see receive rightful wider-spread recognition as one |
| of Detroit's rising stars. |
| |
.| |
-|-------------------- - |
|| group notes |
'| |
| mbs is a new and free music lover association on the net. |
| we only share the music we love, with the people we like. |
| keep your mind, your body and your soul open. peace. |
| |
| _ _________________________\\\\
|_ \ _ .| \
////___\\\ ////--------------------------|' aski injected by basic!
\/