CD reviews
SASHA Fabric 99
SINCE 2001 London night-life institution Fabric has released almost 200 DJ mix albums in its Fabric and Fabric Live series, but this run is coming to an end. And what better way to close things out than grabbing a legend such as Sasha to deliver the goods with his masterful touch? Spoiler: That is exactly what he has done. The joy of a Sasha DJ set is his selection of darkly melodic house, techno and breaks tracks strung together in long, winding mixes that blur the boundaries of these 20-odd tunes. While there is a peppering of choppy voices in the album’s first third, it is mostly an instrumental affair, with Sasha using texture and haunting melodies to do the heavy lifting. Exceptions to this rule come with the first and last song, a bookend of sorts with sensational vocal performances by NYC synth-pop singer Felicia Douglass and Danish folk musician Agnes Obel. Early in the mix there are uplifting melodic tunes such as OVO and Cup of Joe, followed by Guede, an atmospheric breakbeat track that signals a shift towards more intense music. Next stop is some minimal and dub techno sounds building up to a six-year-old classic by Mathew Jonson that still sounds as weird and futuristic today as it did then. Sasha’s own tune Smoke Monk comes next, and it’s equally weird with its bouncy bass and head-swimming melodies. Another highlight is Objekt’s Needle &
Thread, a playful, dynamic breaks tune that is dramatic and shapeshifting. The mix ends with a classic Sasha moment, a sing-along tune that might make you throw your arms around a stranger should you hear this beauty on a dance floor at 4am.
NAS Nasir
AFTER a week of trying to convince myself otherwise, it’s time to admit that this is a sub-par Nas album. If we lay the blame with Nas for Nasir’s deflated dullness, it starts with what this album is not. It is not a strong political statement or a strong personal statement. Nas is skilled with both of these things. He’s made a career out of vividly detailed, deeply personal and gritty rhymes. While Nasir occasionally shows his ability to line up words in a clever way, they rarely pack a punch. He also made some odd choices. Some of these raps are just nonsensical gibberish, while others are easily debunked. “Fox News was started by a black guy.” OK Nas, what are you aiming for with that trash? Kanye West’s music for Nas makes about as much sense as the lyrics. From the soul sample on White Label that doesn’t fit with Nas’s rhymes to the huge-sounding orchestral tune that opens proceedings and then dwarfs everything that comes after, West made odd choices. Cop Shot the Kid has a cool Slick Rick sample that’s looped to infinity to good effect. It is the most energetic song on the album. The next five songs are all slow-burners. How is Nas supposed to excite an audience with such low-key music? Meh.