Album Twice Around The Sun Released
Who: Dave Aju, Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts, Jaw
What: Twice Around The Sun
Where: USA, Canada
Twice Around The Sun is a compilation of deep house (and one chill out track) that was released on the 15th under the record company Circus Label. It is an extensive album and includes about 10 tracks so let’s get right into the music:
Time Outta Joint, the headlining track, has a very old school-house feel with its robust beat, and grooving organs. While a bit more energetic than most deep house, the track carries the groove quite well and they use the contrast between the organs and the grinding, almost acid house line beneath it quite well.
Cascading Thoughts is trippy with its spacious arpeggiating synths, and speech placed over. They still keep the throwback beat which I very much enjoy but the track itself stays very dissonant and out-there. However, the vocals they use over the track fit surprisingly well and make it an interesting listen to say the least.
Last Call (When Space Is The Bass) is much slower at around 110 BPM, and has an interesting organ underneath, however never seems to pull out of the fact that it drags a bit. It lacks a real drive and I understand that may have been the point of the track, however it comes off as a bit uninteresting. I do like the use of the rim shots on the snare as they add a very interesting element to the piece.
Morning Gin is quite a change of pace but is an outstanding track. The beat is funky and minimalistic, and is accompanied by sparse odd sounds, however harmonically it is very interesting to listen to. The background chords underneath the much quieter organ make the song have a very emotional, yet almost lonely sound to it. It’s a fun, driving deep house track that could be incorporated into any Deep House DJ’s set.
Twice Around The Sun, the namesake for the album, is actually a chill out track that ends up being very trippy. It uses very odd vocals and sounds, however the bass line underneath grounds the track well. The xylophone-esque sounds are also an interesting addition but the track is a bit hard to chew and may take a few listens to get used to. The vocals however are very interesting in their oddness and fit surprisingly well within the context of the piece.
Ten Thousand Feet is a funky, spacious tune and honestly one of the most imaginative pieces on this album. With an almost oriental vibe, the track’s low drums are overpowered by a very spacious melodic overtone however still stick within a very deep house vibe. It also has interesting guitar that they use to add a bit of variation to the piece’s more radical sound.
Constellation adds an interesting sax that seems to jam over within the Locrian mode with a pumping bass underneath. The combination of the two is interesting to say the least and really displays their artistic ability, or that they’re on way too many drugs.
Discotic Soul Capsule is a deep house tune that is very intense, yet trance-like. Not trance-like as in Armin van Buuren, but trace-like as it seems that if you heard it in a club it would be kind of confusing and make you listen intently. However the spoken vocals are quite interesting and fit really well with the tense feel of the song. The grooving synth is also top-notch. Rhythmically, and chordally interesting. A startling track, but once you digest it a bit its a great listen.
Man, Woman and Soul is another tense track. It doesn’t stand out much from the others else the arpeggiating synth. Combine that with the dissonance between the lower bass noises and the higher, more melodic elements and the track is interesting to say the least. Or most. Depending on how you feel about out-there dance music.
Solar Flare has an almost latin flare and is a great track. The beat is very interesting with its use of non-standard percussive devices. The rhythmic stabs of the saxes as well as their melody lines are great. The guitar is also funky as all get out. To round it all out, the bass underneath keeps the track rolling on in a really groovy way. The vocals? Meh.
To sum it all up, Twice Around The Sun is an interesting foray into musical creativity in the dance music genre. These guys take risks and aren’t afraid to put their music out there. I respect that and am glad that there are artists out there not just sticking to the status quo and making the next big electro/progressive tune (Dada Life I’m looking at you). While not all their songs may be hits, the album is a great listen and worth your thoughts and interpretation. Grab it on Beatport!
