Hi Fi Companions - "Swingers in Paradise"
(Backroom Beat Recordings BBeat 006CD)
Hi Fi Companions - "Swingers in Paradise"
(Backroom Beat Recordings BBeat 006CD)
From Aural Innovations #29 (October 2004)
This is some sort of ambient electronic jazz thing with Merv (Eat Static) and Steve Jolliffe (Tangerine Dream) collaborating. This CD took me a while to get into. The CD has a fantastic sound with a great sound production and unexpected things pop out of every corner when you least expect them. Flutes, saxes, strange synth sounds and samples, and Theremin. "I Croon on Ermine" opens the CD and has fantastic beats and a great sax solo. "Strange Rampage" has a harder sounding beat and groove as the ambient synths float over the top and it takes you away. This is for sure a cool late night track to float into the early morning hours with. Ed Wynne from Ozric Tentacles guests on track 5 ("A Night in Timisoara"). A beautiful female singer leads this song as it slowly builds a cool groove up and Steve plays some cool flute and then here comes... Ed... no... not what you expected. He plays some really different stuff and mostly synthesizer. "Orgazmonaut" is maybe the strangest song on the CD. The title track, "Swingers in Paradise" is pretty cool stuff. It starts slow but then really builds before Steve takes a long sax solo as the groove goes on. "Dr. Phibes" starts with a very ominous sound with deep beats before the strange sounds bubble up to the top and the beats take over. A really great track. "Bin Liner" is a real floating space type of thing with harps and things. This is like something on the new ORB CD. The CD closes with "The Livin’ End". This CD takes a bit to grow on you but pretty unique material from this collaboration. Check it out!
For more information you can visit: http://www.twisted.co.uk.
Reviewed by Scott Heller