Do you know that sound your computer makes while it is hooking up to the internet? I am talking about that scratching noise before the ping. Well, it sounds to me like Somatic has sampled this noise on the first track, “Raw Dog”. It debuts there, but I heard it here and there throughout the whole album.
Regardless of how long we hear this noise, Somatic (a.k.a. Hahn Rowe) uses his musical talents to make us stop plugging our ears when we hear it. If one can take an annoying sound and cast it to play an integral part in what they have produced as music, I would say that he is pretty clever. “Raw Dog” is not the only clever track on the album.
The New Body starts out completely in your face with the first track. The second track, “Venusian Jazz”, is my personal favorite. It has a mysterious and very late night feel to it. “Out There” follows it as the dream you might have about your late night after you come home; like an abstracted encore.
The middle of the album mellows out a bit. “Space Jelly” and “Choppin Block” are two of the most intense tracks on the album, and they precede the last track, “Red Rubber Ball”, which is the only one on The New Body done in a major key. Aside from this song, all of the tracks have a similar sound to them; they have a similar sound as if they are placed in a grouping of sorts.
This clever piece of work features some truly wicked drum and bass. Even with all of the wickedness, the album is still easy on the ear. It does not have that super heavy drum and bass sound. I can definitely hear more drums than bass and my ear picked up a lot of symbols and the use of the brush on the drums. I suggest this album to those seeking primal exposure to the drum and bass sound. While his type of music can be harsh at the hands of others, Somatic’s album would be good to ease one into this style of sound. The New Body is far from harsh. You can dance to it, chill out to it, or just plain old listen to it. Full through.
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