| Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician has recently released a collection on the independent Mush record label, entitled Wave Motion. A member of rap outfit the Five Deez, Jon is also responsible for the excellent instrumental album Humanoid Erotica which he recorded under the guise of Maurice Galactica last year. As you would expect therefore, given not only his proven talents as a producer but also Mush Record's outstanding reputation, Wave Motion offers a rich and varied journey through innovative and enjoyable sample-based music. From the cover it seems that, graphically at least, Fat Jon is aiming for the Afrodelic vibe of mid-70's Miles Davis or Stevie Wonder, and sonically it's clear that he definitely succeeds in harnessing their deep and melodic celestial funk. The album begins with an evocative female voice crying "To the sky! Take me home!" and from that point onward there's no turning back. Not unlike Soulmates, Nobody's brilliant album for Ubiquity two years ago, Wave Motion consists of genuinely interesting and absorbing compositions, utilizing various instrumental elements and rhythmical sequences to create music that draws on everything from classical, folk, jazz, soul, and psychodelica. On the spacious "Visual Music," an unrestrained drum-kit meets layers of gently chiming guitars, reed and keyboards, while on "Feel the Void" a lonely flute charts a melancholic and melodic path through understated percussion and bass rhythms. Elsewhere on "For Stress" Fat Jon combines Gil Evan's-style horn ensemble lines and bright ambient sounds with an uptight percussion, while the all-too-brief "1975" creates a sense of unresolved tension and drama with monotone keys, a relentless snare drum and disjointed vocal samples. A masterfully executed album of deep but accessible songs and multiple moods, Wave Motion is an ample musical prescription from the physician of soul. - Illbient |
1XLP/Out Of Print