DEPTH CHARGE — Lust (review)

DEPTH CHARGE — Lust album cover Album · 1994 · Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
In the mid 90s when the trip-hop formula had become a cliché pattern of lazy laid-back beats designed for the chill room at the local dance club, Depth Charge charted their own course with a more aggressive and downright nasty sound that borrowed much of its ascetic from Hong Kong gangster movies and hardcore porn soundtracks. These songs have the expected mid-tempo groove of the instrumental hip-hop genre, but the vibe is tense and dangerous, not relaxed and loungey. To further their difference from the pack, Depth Charge had real instrumental skills on funky wah-wah guitar, Hammond B3 and analog synthesizer that gave their songs a gritty rockin flavor.

Its hard to find a comparison for this group’s sound, possibly some early loops by EPMD, the early psychedelic funk-rock of The Funkadelics or Bob Marley’s charging 4 on the floor classic, ‘Exodus’, might give one an idea of this band’s blending of funk groove and rock aggression. In a genre that eventually got buried in cliché, J Saul Kane keeps things interesting with unpredictable breaks and darkly humorous snippets of dialog from crime movies.

Fans of the infamous comedian Blowfly might be interested in knowing that he makes a guest appearance on the cut ‘Sex, Sluts, Heaven’, but he is not always easy to pick out amongst all the other sampled voices. Fans of great synth work might also enjoy the obviously patchable synthesizer they use and its complex sound modulations. This is not your typical instrumental hip-hop record at all; real instrumental skills, streetwise aggression and creative arrangements set this one apart from the sleepy paint-by-numbers trip hop set.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

6 Eclectic Fusion
KROKOFANT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Spring In Stockholm Live At Konserthuset, 1959 Cool Jazz
GERRY MULLIGAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple vol.3 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikolaj Trzaska, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple, Vol.1 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mikołaj Trzaska / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Paal Nilssen-Love : The Last Temple Vol.2 Avant-Garde Jazz
MIKOŁAJ TRZASKA
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

FASCINATING RHYTHM - The Amazing Keystone Big Band feat. Neima Naouri
THE AMAZING KEYSTONE BIG BAND
snobb· 1 day ago
Alicante
RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
js· 1 day ago
She's Forty with Me
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Tall Tillie's Too Tight
WILTON CRAWLEY
js· 1 day ago
Rhoda Scott Ladies and Gentlemen - special guest : David Linx
RHODA SCOTT
snobb· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed