Paul White:
Shaker Notes:
CD/LP/DD:
R&S Records:
Out Now:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
If, as a teenager, your listening pleasures have previously involved a whole stack of jazz greats such as Davis and Coltrane, a dash of Afrobeat, a chunk of Aphex Twin and anything your family could throw at you, chances are your own creativity will get affected by such influences.
South Londoner Paul White may have a somewhat plain name but his music is as colourful as his neighbourhood and his taste in music. Shaker Notes is described by its creator as 'his most personal' and showcases his abilities as a 'real' musician, as well as a composer. The sampler has been switched off and in its place, an inordinate amount of percussion instruments do battle for ear-space.
Shakers, bongos, snares, tom-toms and possibly the kitchen-sink sit cheek-by-jowl with occasional synths, drum-boxes, guitars, sax and basses, in an effortless relationship that bears a fruit unlike anything else around at the moment. Add in White's soft vocal tones and a few special effects and you have a global travelogue that transcends many boundaries.
Sitting In Circles recalls Michael Brook's work with Brian Eno, Honey Cats is moody blues incarnate, Where You Gonna Go is an eerie single to say the least, similar to Airship or James Blake with what sounds like a balafon driving it all forward and Fighting To Dance is the perfect response to anyone suggesting that Shaker Notes 'needs more cowbell'. It certainly doesn't here.
Pure White gold.
Shaker Notes:
CD/LP/DD:
R&S Records:
Out Now:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
South Londoner Paul White may have a somewhat plain name but his music is as colourful as his neighbourhood and his taste in music. Shaker Notes is described by its creator as 'his most personal' and showcases his abilities as a 'real' musician, as well as a composer. The sampler has been switched off and in its place, an inordinate amount of percussion instruments do battle for ear-space.
Shakers, bongos, snares, tom-toms and possibly the kitchen-sink sit cheek-by-jowl with occasional synths, drum-boxes, guitars, sax and basses, in an effortless relationship that bears a fruit unlike anything else around at the moment. Add in White's soft vocal tones and a few special effects and you have a global travelogue that transcends many boundaries.
Sitting In Circles recalls Michael Brook's work with Brian Eno, Honey Cats is moody blues incarnate, Where You Gonna Go is an eerie single to say the least, similar to Airship or James Blake with what sounds like a balafon driving it all forward and Fighting To Dance is the perfect response to anyone suggesting that Shaker Notes 'needs more cowbell'. It certainly doesn't here.
Pure White gold.