"Ladies and Gentlemen..."
Starting with the frenetic beats of the opening track, "21st Century
Teenager," John Taylor's newest aural offering, Meltdown, assails
the senses with soulful stylings and danceable grooves all with an electronic,
big beat, trip-hop tip. Meltdown marks a departure from the more raw,
minimalist structure of many of his other solo efforts, taking the listener
into swirling, deeply entrenched electronic breaks and grooves.
The most amazing thing about this piece is the foresight involved with the
almost jerky, wild rhythms characterized more by the techno movements that
followed after the early 1990s. It is something the listener is almost used to
now with the modern saturation of groups like Chemical Brothers, Moby, and
Fatboy Slim, but perhaps doesn't realize the rarity of it at the time of the
recording (at least outside of the electronic underground).
Also dispersed within these grooves are moments of lush, ambient stirrings
giving the album a unique balance that runs the range of thoughtful
introspection to in-your-face, four-on-the-floor muses. John's voice, dancing
above the musical madness, is surprisingly full of range and depth, reiterating
to me that he should have been much more of a vocalist sooner in his career.
Meltdown is somewhat eclectic in its offerings with the cornerstone of
the album being the cover of legendary Reggae Dub king, Lee "Scratch"
Perry's classic "Soul Fire." The cover shows John's diversity in
creative expression without being bogged down with the pretension that often
goes hand in hand with an artist crossing musical genres. The lines of musical
classification are blurred giving the listener a fresh enjoyment of the sound.
I found myself both captivated and intrigued with this album, surprised again
at the many possibilities of a home studio a la a mixing board, drum machine
and keyboard. Yet I suppose I was surprised most by how modern this piece is
and how, even though it was unearthed after about seven years, it still speaks
to the listener as if it were created today.
"It's the state of the art alright..."
Interested in more about John Taylor? If you are wondering where you have heard
that name before or are having some bad flashbacks about getting detention for
wearing a fedora in Math class, check out his official website and get caught
up. He’s changed a
lot since “Rio”…
Trust The
Process: The Official Site of John
Taylor
Do you know about John, but just want to buy this CD? Go here. Quantities are limited.