Sonar Kollektiv
Matt Chicoine is a once-Detroit-based producer who crafts some funky joints with plenty of replay value. When his latest offering under the Recloose moniker, "Perfect Timing", fell into my lap, packed with ten instantly listenable numbers, it struck me as odd that these upbeat slices of music weren't praised by all dance hipsters out there. But then I realized that Chicoine has a reputation-cementing career all of his own.
Recloose has a respectable output of EPs for Carl Craig's Planet E label where he often tosses out some feel-good moments that are simply unmatched for intensity in the trip-hop market. He also helped fill out Craig's Innerzone Orchestra for international live sets back in the late 90s, before he entered the studio to finally release the seminal "Cardiology" on Planet E in 2002.
Of course these early endeavors can be pretty hard on the street cred, especially if you're trying to come up with a sound that is fresh and ready to beg off the simple cloning practices of your peers. But it's more likely that the potential detractors are simply barking at the wrong tree, as Recloose's is a work of commendable value and not that of stocking stuffers.
There is this one moment that is both defining of the entire album and capable of leaving the listener only a notch less than fainting-level excited. That moment is the "Emotional Funk" track which inaugurates the second half of "Perfect Timing", and features Tyna Keelan on vocals. The former Dubious Bros emcee and guitarist helps grease the wheels for yet another half of vibrant but coordinated knee and hip moves.
Keelan had already put his soft voice to work earlier on "So Cool", which stays halfway between incendiary funk and sweated-out jazz. And he returns later on for the minimal techno-driven "The Sanctuary". Other notable guests include Joe Dukie of Fat Freddy's Drop on the incredibly laid-back tropicalism of "Deeper Waters", and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Crayford on the soothing finale "Daydream", sung by Rachel Fraiser as she does on the soulful opener "Catch a Leaf".
Overall, this is a record by someone who never loses his pulse, and therefore never lets his music drift into the obscure and pretty boring realms of music academia. "Perfect Timing" is supposed to make you feel good and there's no timing more perfect than right now.
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