Nyxed
doomsdayer520 | Pennsylvania | 12/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's amazing what Europeans can come up with these days. The Malcouns, a loosely-knit ensemble of world music wiseguys, have unleashed a fascinating experiment in mixing authentic African grooves with funk and free jazz. Listeners might find this music bizarre and unhinged, or will wonder why nobody thought of it before. But either way the resulting skanky groove is artistically fresh, technically astounding, and you can totally bug out to it. The Malcouns surely understand the sounds, structures, and instrumentation of various styles of African music. But the real fun is when the troupe adds the chicken scratch guitar of the lowdownest funk and the off-kilter horns and percussion of the wildest big band jazz.
All of these can be found in the top-of-the-album showpiece "Nyx," while looselimbed rhythm workouts like "Sahara Swing" and "Psycles" sound like what Miles Davis would have birthed if he had truly made it into deepest darkest Africa during his sonic explorations back in 1969. Other highlights include the spooky "Jabore Pt. 3" and the funky soul of "Passau Run," which wouldn't sound out of place on a souped-up version of Dr. Funkenstein's Mothership. These German studio vets surely lack the political and cultural influences that really got their favorite African, jazz, and funk masters into the righteous groove. But the groove is here nonetheless, with an absolutely fascinating mix of seemingly incompatible sounds that can work together in surprisingly skanky ways. [~doomsdayer520~]"
Sooooo funky
E. Williams | St Pete, FL | 02/24/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm so happy I bought this CD. I like MMW and funky Herbie Hancock type stuff, and this fits right into my collection. Fans of the Daptone Records sound and older afro-soul with great horn sections will love this, too. There is a great blend of sounds here, with a perfect level of electronic tweaking--not too much, as is often the case these days. There's some great grooves, and all the players are fantastic. Not sure how much is samples and how much is live...anyways, it doesn't really matter because you should just go ahead and buy this already!"
MMW meets Fela Kuti
DW | chicago, IL | 08/30/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Karl Hector & The Malcouns are an authentic sounding new group. Fans of Medeski Martin & Wood should seek this CD. Funky, catchy original jams with vintage instruments, a horn section and African percussion.
My kind of music.
[DW]"