Dave Aju formerly known as Marc Barrite and
AKA The Unorthodoctor came to prevalence on the DJ Scene of his native San
Francisco in 1995. Since then he’s been
responsible for remixing some of the most popular tracks of the last few years.
Taking jazz, hip-hop and funk/soul, and,
mixing them with house and techno beats, not only does he create something very
original, but also something incredibly likeable and infectious. The sound is fresh, sharp and melodious and
uses great percussive loops.
As well as remixing, Dave performs DJ sets
and live performances recently appearing in Berlin and Paris, showcasing his
enthralling electronic dance rhythms.
The title track from his current Listen To
Your Heartbeat EP starts with muffled voices. A pacey synth driven beat ensues
with a driving bassline. An interesting
percussion, which sounds like coins rattled in a tin, accompanies looped
vocals. If there was ever a comparison
to be made to James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem this is it. Throw in some analogue blips and beeps in a
VCMG style and you’ve got this track.
Strolling On A Sunday follows with a
variation on a Samba beat. No!
Wait! It’s really very, very good. Almost an instrumental with the exception of
some sample ‘Doo Doo Doo Daa’s’, this is catchy little number. It’s the sort of track that leaves you
slightly bewildered as to what you’ve just listened to - pleasing, catchy and
rather quirky.
If I’d been told that De La Soul were
involved with the loose and lazy Homegrown I wouldn’t have been surprised. A little bit of Gorillaz grooved funky
hip-hop, and, more lovely sampled drum sounds bring the EP to a close.
Next?
I played the whole thing again.
And Again.
I for one, will be checking out his back
catalogue, because if this EP is anything to go by, there will be some rather
brilliant things hidden away.
In his own words, Aju wants to “rescue
dance music from the blahs” – he’s certainly succeeding with this little gem.
Published on Louder Than War 28/09/12 - http://louderthanwar.com/dave-aju-listen-your-heartbeat-ep-album-review/
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