Search - Dzihan & Kamien :: Freaks & Icons

Downtempo with an upbeat feel

CurlyFroVA | 08/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the realm of acid jazz/jazz fusion/downtempo/lounge this CD ranks up there with the best of them. If you're looking for earth-shattering-intergalactic-experimental-electronica you will surely fall asleep on this one. However, if your prefer more refined and structured electronica, you'll enjoy the hip jazzy feel they have infused into each track.



Almost any track you can easily imagine being played in your local Starbucks or your favorite lounge. Some are danceable (After, Just You & I, Where Are We?). Some go well with your morning Caramel Macchiato (I Guess She..., Before, Ocean Air). A few are excellent backdrops for an evening houseparty with pita chips, hummus and Mojitos (Dabudei, Streets of Istanbul, Slowhand Hussein). Others are great as a night cap (Homebase, Colores, Spacewater). Regardless the event or time of day there is a song from this CD that would suit perfectly.



I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 merely because I enjoy this CD second to their other CD, Gran Riserva which I highly rate a 5.



"

Glad I purchased this CD

Tony Triton | USA | 01/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard dZihan & Kamien on www.soma.fm's Groove Salad channel. The Freaks & Icons CD is an excellent work. I can say I actually like every track (and that's saying a lot). Yes, the cover is, well, odd (but all their covers seem a bit odd), so don't be put off by it. Their music has compelling beats, international flavors, and haunting chords & melodies. A very polished, well mixed group. This CD has a high replay value, in my opinion. I will buy more dzihan & Kamien works. I would also recommend Soma FM's groove salad channel to hear more of this style of music. You will find artists whose work you will want to buy (and please support Soma, they area a listener-supported internet radio station - no I am not affiliated with them)."

"Freaks" Is A Footrest

Mark Eremite | Seoul, South Korea | 05/10/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Austrian-based duo of dZihan and Kamien have been around now for almost a decade, and not without good reason. They're certainly good at what they do, and have been since they were releasing cuts under the name MC Sultan.



I say they're good, and I say "at what they do," because they aren't really all that great, and "what they do" never really changes. They've been compared to Thievery Corporation, which is fair, since both groups work with downtempo lounge that borders on jazz house. But whereas Thievery Corporation incorporates not just experimentation but also a wide sampling of cultural flavors and flourishes, dZihan and Kamien prefer to keep it low-key and unassuming.



Fine. Lounge music is by its nature low-key and unassuming, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't also be inventive or diverse. For a couple of guys with such international tastes (born in Germany, raised in Switzerland, claim to prefer Turkish/Arabic music, perform mostly in European clubs), this album hits a plateau of placidity and plays itself out there.



Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, and for the soft, flapping curtains of the lounge genre, it's a workhorse of a record. Several of the songs ("Just You & I" and "Slowhand Hussein" in particular) are pretty impressionable, knee-quaking, aggressively laid-back. And, as I said, none of them could be called bad, per se.



But, much like the mostly-milquetoast Cafe Del Mar series, these guys aren't really aspiring for much more than an inspiration to nap-time, and even that is done a little unevenly; you've got everything from fusion jazz ("Where Are We?"), to electronic pillow talk ("Spacewater"), to synthetic pop ("Smile"). It's a decent collection, even if it doesn't mesh well, and it's got its share of shakes and sighs, but, when all is said and done, there's no "freak" here to be found, and certainly no "icons.""