The fourth album from the Finnish producer sees him turning out another selection of deep house from the top drawer for Laurent Garnier's esteemed imprint. Less funk-orientated than his previous work, Hulkkonen turns to the '80s for his influences, replacing the hip-swinging breakbeats of When No One Is Watching We Are Invisible with robotic drum-machine percussives, with these no-nonsense grooves elaborated upon through detailed synth work and bubbling low-end theory. The vocal pieces find the album at its strongest; Nick Triani's contribution to "All I See Is Shadows" amounts to a blistering slice of Detroit instrumentation and Chicago vocal aspirations, while a collaboration with longtime spa Tuomas Salmela closes the album, doffing its cap to "Sueno Latino" with its mix of easy Italio house piano and clattering, balaeric backbeat. ~ Kingsley Marshall|
Rovi
The fourth album from the Finnish producer sees him turning out another selection of deep house from the top drawer for Laurent Garnier's esteemed imprint. Less funk-orientated than his previous work, Hulkkonen turns to the '80s for his influences, replacing the hip-swinging breakbeats of When No One Is Watching We Are Invisible with robotic drum-machine percussives, with these no-nonsense grooves elaborated upon through detailed synth work and bubbling low-end theory. The vocal pieces find the album at its strongest; Nick Triani's contribution to "All I See Is Shadows" amounts to a blistering slice of Detroit instrumentation and Chicago vocal aspirations, while a collaboration with longtime spa Tuomas Salmela closes the album, doffing its cap to "Sueno Latino" with its mix of easy Italio house piano and clattering, balaeric backbeat. ~ Kingsley Marshall
Rovi
フランスのディープ・ハウス・レーベル、Fコミュニケーションズから3枚のアルバムを発表、レーベルを代表する顔となってきたフィンランド出身のジョリ・ハルコネンの新作。90年代には自主レーベル運営などを通じて、黎明期にあった同国のダンス・ミュージック・シーンを担ってきた彼だけに、その音楽性も〈オシャレでジャジーなハウス〉とはひと味違う。まずアルバム全9曲を通じて貫かれたストイックなまでの電子音へのこだわりに注目したい。ピアノやシンセといった生音の存在感を溶かし込んだような無機的ともいえる音世界は、デトロイト~シカゴ・ハウスをベースとしながらも、どこかニューウェイヴ的でトランシー。アンビエントにも通じる永続性/浸透性に富んだ音響もミステリアスな魔力を放つ。北欧……というイメージに違わぬクールな佇まいが、ふつふつと静かなグルーヴを呼び起こす一枚。
bounce (C)ネイシャン
タワーレコード(2002年09月号掲載 (P93))