As far as unlikely marriages go, here’s one that really shouldn’t work. Christopher Dell is one of the world’s top jazz vibraphone players, having studied under Gary Burton and received countless awards. Roman Flugel is a legend of the German trance-techno scene, responsible for projects like Acid Jesus and half of Alter Ego, as well as the Klang-Ongaku conglomerate. But an open-minded attitude is all that’s needed for the pair to team up and throw together a collection of tracks for which musical boxes simply don’t exist. The tracks veer from freeform jazz tinkerings to deep, minimal techno, largely sprinkled with the warm sound of Dell’s vibes. The minimal dub-vamp of ‘Dirty Realism’ sounds like nothing else. Inevitably, this won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s an all-round brave and individual effort which at least deserves to be thrown into broader laps.
4 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: KRIS NEEDS
