Flanger is the prolificGerman duo of Bernd Friedmann (Burnt Friedman & The Nu Dub Players,Nonplace Urban Field, etc) and Uwe Schmidt (Atom Heart, Señor Coconut,etc). This is their 2nd album, follow-up to last year's "Templates",both on Ninja Tune's Ntone subdivision. "Midnight Sound" evolves beyondthe debut with a more humanized fusion of organic and electronic latinflavors and jazz sensibilities, very similar to Burnt Friedman's "ConRitmo". Most tracks are in the mid to high tempo range save for thealbum's bookends. "Nightbeat 1" and "Stepping Out of My Dream" bothoffer up slow brushed snare smokiness, the latter an especiallycompelling 7+ minute piece of sonic mood art that alone is worth theprice of entry for the disc. A vibe heavy, horn free interpretation ofthe Miles Davis classic "So What" is a respectfully well done treat.The rest are faster paced, chock full of all sorts of rapid-fire bass,vibe, organ and key lines and programmed pseudo-drum 'n bass beatsaugmented by Friednman's additional percussion flair. Several songsslowly dissolve at times to reveal the electro-glitch and micro-beatunderbellies beneath the bossa nova. "Midnight Sound" is simplysublime. This and "Con Ritmo" can fill your crossbred future-jazzneeds for a while.samples:
Read More
