Llorca is F Communications' latest contender for the St Germain crown as the master of soulful French house. But it's a crown he's reticent to wear and he's right to be cautious.
'The Novel sound' is perhaps the obvious way to start an album by a jazz influenced deep house producer. But, as good as it is, it will only confirm the suspicions of anyone who thinks deep house albums are one long drawn-out track based around quality sounds and one idea.
This is unfourtunate because Llorca has released a thorough, musical and diverse jazz house album. This becomes clear as the album moves on.
Nicole Graham's lisped vocal line on 'Indigo Blues' weaves around bossa rhythms, eventually giving way to a mournful trumpet accompanied by Spanish guitar. Song wise it's leagues ahead of anything St Germain has ever tried to create.
'Lights Behind Windows' is a darkly atmospheric up right bass track. It skips on crisp, hard Jazzanova beats and the saxophone solo provides one of the album's highlights.
'I cry' sees Mandel Turner take over the vocal and keeps on the broken beat territory, skipping the drum patterns but roughing up the edges and notching up the grooves on the bass line.
By contrast 'Any How' has a distinct Eighties feeling to its bass line, the simplicity of early house in its drum patterns and a muted horn that might have some reminiscing about early MAW releases. 'True To Me' sees Lady Bird make her first of two appearances on the album, and dips the pace to rumbling, soulful funk.
The tempo is again changed with the up tempo jazz Latin dance of 'Lalo Caught Me Dancing' possibly a reference to Caribbean drummer Lalo before bringing Lady Bird back for the debut single 'My Precious thing'.
The album comes to a false close with 'The End'. One of the albums finest moments, it takes its lead from Massive Attacks 'Lately' and adds to the legacy. Finally a hidden track, the alternative version of 'I Cry', kicks and splutters the album to a finish.
Llorca may be getting touted as the new St Germain, but, as he says himself, the comparison is deeply flawed.
For starters Llorca creates songs whereas St Germain works to the more traditional (in dance music terms) producer format based in splicing tracks together from samples to create instrumental grooves, rather than song structures.
This means 'New Comer' is more complex than 'Tourist', or for that matter 'Boulevard'. But it's also less background and less likely to appeal to the coffee table set. This is a good thing.
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