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Mocean Worker:
Enter the Mowo
Finally the hip-hop kids and the jazz-heads can co-exist in some jaunty wine bar without arguing about which record to listen to for at least fifty minutes. This sonic mix of jazz, soul and primitive trip-hop makes you forget about those schmaltzy club DJs who try to fool you into thinking that they are the real artists while they claim that Moby and Fatboy Slim aren't "keeping it real." Unlike many who have graduated from Berklee's School of Music, Adam Dorn (a.k.a. Mocean Worker) venerates every style of music that has inspired him along the way, making him far more viable than the African drum major who now works at Guitar Center. Dorn has the good sense to include an impressive roll-call of immortal jazz greats (Bill Frissell, Sex Mob and Les McCann) for this compendium as well as the lesser known talent of Rhinoceros bassist Frank Gauthier while dueling with the late jazz flutist Rahsaan Roland Kirk for "Shamma Lamma Ding Dong. This track is far more fierce than the title would lead you to believe. "That's What's Happening Tonight" features Les McCann, who gives the soul-jazz pianist a fresh sound with the inclusion of funky beats backing him throughout the entire song. One track that captivates wholly is "Only the Shadow Knows," which is a song that enables you to morph into a Blaxploitation star without anyone knowing better. While the album is dedicated mostly to grooves that drive you to shake that ass, the last three tracks slow the tempo considerably. This starts with "Blackbird," as the pre-recorded voice of Nina Simone casts an ominous cloud over the bleak underpinnings that wouldn't think to overpower her brooding ghost. The album's closing track, "Collection II," which is dedicated to Brian Eno (a true pioneer in the innovation of electronic music), is the most haunting track on this record. It features the voices of a children's choir, and while children generally represent the beginning of something which is promising, this song is drowning in despair. This is how Dorn chooses to end the journey for the listener, but the irony of his selection is to be interpreted differently by the individual, not the artist himself. Sadly, this record is classified as Electronica at most record stores, leading you to believe that this is just as essential as another compilation of Downtempo beats and breaks. However, this album is far more diverse than the majority of the records out there labeled as Electronica, and it certainly is not a record to be missed. In fact, your swanky club's DJ probably has already copped a copy and plans on spinning it the next time he's too lazy to match beats and rhythms for himself. Let everyone else listen to the Sneaker Pimps and Morcheeba; this album is for YOU to savor.
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