First things first, I'll have to put an apology out there for the delay between this and my last review for TLB, things have been mad crazy with the new EP launch which is why I've put a bumper album piece together to try atone for my absence. I promise that you'll want to go through baggage claim for this one though...
The latest offering from HW&W's endlessly classy production line, The Dutch, is a collaborative effort from 14 beatsmiths at various stages in their creative evolutions. Crowd favourites like Jeftuz & Trian Kayhatu step in alongside more embryonic producers touted by this red-hot label for future fame. American based HW&W have been showcasing a fair bit of R'n'B lately, but if you're looking for soul covered love-songs this is not the album to search on. Instead its a blisteringly beautiful beats compilation filled with rolling snares, compressed vocal hits, and some staggering synth-work that reminds us all at TLB of a time before Etonmessy and deep house ruled over music blogs. Basically its my wet dream.
Each track on this gapless comp deserves praise and every single piece from 1 to 14 has its merits, but, for now, I'll focus on the standout three that I've been bumping non-stop for the past week:
There were a few tracks on The Dutch that had EDM vibes harking back to a bladerunner funk that's been lacking in the world since Harrison Ford started visibly aging. Trian Kayhatu's Boy-band layers up kit hits and arching synths akin to the kind of sound that has defined Daft Punk's career (twice), as well as Henning's Gettin' Back Into Shape and L33's Cosmic glide bringing in that white sock Yamaha sound which epitomised so many 80's musicians careers in an instant. However, the points in the funk round go to Wantigga, whose track is a more than worthy opener to the album. The synths sound like they have been dragged straight from the club Super Mario should frequent, wailing and seducing the listener as snares crash all around. It has all the charm of 8-Bit but with the sophistication of the label it is backed by, and is a shining lesson in how to make trap sound like an electronic love ballad rather than macho showboating.
03: Freak - Vinyl Frontiers
A name like Vinyl Frontiers writes a check for some sophistication, and in Freak they have provided something genuinely suave. Starting with rolling pads and a pitch shifted sample, Freak slowly works itself into a build which suddenly unleashes a classic Jodeci sample into the beat. Vinyl Frontiers have clearly been taking lessons from Promnite's sharp boom in popularity due to his sped soul samples, and if you're going for sexy, there's nobody better to take you there than a band whom actually have an interlude called 'Inhermission'. The decision to select a well known chorus and march it into EDM territory was brave, but inspired. This is SO FREAKING TIGHT.
12: Troutman Brown - Ramiks
I'll probably upset a few people with this one, but Ramik's offering to The Dutch is my hands down favourite, it is technically brilliant and had me crowing over it from this first listen. Crooning synths are somewhat of a feature on this album, but in Troutman Brown they are deployed in the same way as a hook so that its the first sequence you take from the song. The synthwork itself holds the depth of someone in the same league as French producer Monk' - and that is a huge compliment. The phased beat gradually makes way for a bridge that holds the real beauty of Troutman Brown, speeding the tempo and making the link into the Chris Brown chop sound like an ad break between plays at the superbowl and, therefore, a tempting offering as opposed to a way of projecting more emphasis on the crescendo of the song. Sublime work.
The Dutch is a little off the beaten track, but HW&W have again displayed their impressive range of artists and credentials with this album; whether you cop it intended as a tutorial in beat-making or for purely aesthetic listening, its a good bet ... Oh, and did Mr. Fellowes and I mention it's FREE?!
Phexis.