Shortcuts: Richard Spaven, Cid Rim vs The Clonious

Maybe you’ve never heard the name Richard Spaven before, but chances are big you’ve heard the man play, maybe even live. He’s been a household drummer for so many artists: Mark de Clive-Lowe, José James, The Cinematic Orchestra, GURU, 4hero, … the list goes on. But now that the good cats at Jazz Re:freshed have kickstarted a new series of mini-albums called 5ive’s, it’s time for Richard to step out of the shadow and deliver his first proper release. He is accompanied by a few great guests though: José James and Dj DooWop on vocals, Brotherly’s Robin Mullarkey on bass, Flowrider’s Vincent Helbers on keys, and many more.

The result is amazing. The drumming of course is fingerlicking good, but the intricate jazz arrangements, quirky time signatures and modern electronic production are top notch as well. Give these 6 tracks a few spins and you’ll be hooked. From the hypnotizing Rockers Round Window to the enchanting ballad Maz and the headnodding jazzhop of Zeebra III. The mysterious and slightly discomforting Network could have been on Two Pages, or a Domu album. And 1759 finally is the perfect closing track – mesmerizing and soothing. This is future jazz, people. Give this man a 5-album contract!

Check this Youtube video of Richard introducing the album.

Onto another fantastic debut, from Vienna this time. Cid Rim is the drummer of the JSBL band (together with The Clonious, Dorian Concept and Willi Rosner) but here he has three tracks to prove his solo worth. Opener Jerome could very well be played on more adventurous radio stations, as it sports a quite poppy sound and a straightforward verse/chorus progression. Nice, but then things start to get crazy – as in crazy good. Chop Suey Cide Step has a driving midtempo beat and a bumpy acid bassline like Luke Vibert likes them. On Bear Hug Love Cid Rim pulls open all registers, with squelchy synths, bleeps and stabs on a ruff dubstep riddim. Madness!

On the flip The Clonious takes his turn. He released his (excellent) debut album on Ubiquity last year, and here takes a similar approach to side A: one catchy vocal tune and two tunes-gone-wild. The vocal is courtesy of Paul Randolph, who turns Truth into a bit of an anthem that will work well on dancefloors. Earringer is the counterpart to Cid Rim’s Bear Hug Love: frantic, agitated and just plain crazy. The final track called Paul’s Suite is a bit more balanced, where The Clonious paints an intricate musical story with otherworldly synths and stuttering beats.

Another excellent release by Austria’s Affine label – fans of Dorian Concept and the like: don’t sleep!