Review: Hidden Orchestra 'Night Walks'

HIDDEN ORCHESTRA
Night Walks
[Tru Thoughts]

I cringed when I saw the sticker on the Hidden Orchestra debut album Night Walks. For fans of Zero 7, it says. Oh, really? Those boring bastards are worthy of being name-checked on a sticker? And this from one of my all-time favourite labels, Tru Thoughts? What the hell's going on?! Luckily for my pulse rate, the Edinburgh-based group formerly known as Joe Acheson Quartet doesn't sound much like Zero 7 at all. I hear Bonobo, Clifford Gilberto, Tortoise and classical influences mixed with Morricone and Axelrod, like a 21st century musical version of Alfred Hitchcock. Hidden Orchestra seek to emulate electronic music via acoustic means, utilising traditional live instrumentation, organically assembled samples - and two live drummers. This beguiling blend of hip hop swagger, lush sweeping orchestration and post-rock experimentalism makes for an intense and rewarding listen. Cinematic, emotive, percussive, next generation music. And Zero 7 can piss right off.

4 stars from 5

Review: Scratch 22 'Distance From View'

SCRATCH 22
Distance From View
[Round Trip Mars]

Considered, cinematic, cerebral and gently psychedelic. These are words which accurately describe Distance From View, the debut album from Auckland DJ and producer Scratch 22. We all knew the kid had skills (turntablist, radio host, remixer, support DJ to the stars), but this is an incredibly confident and assured debut - just like the man himself. Distance From View recalls Ennio Morricone and David Axelrod mixed with Clutchy Hopkins, Kid Loco or later RJD2 instrumentals, and while some ideas remain underdeveloped, it's refreshing to hear a young producer letting songs breathe. Standouts are Window Rattle, a soundtrack for a spaghetti western car chase (if that were even possible), the loose-limbed, vaguely Hendrix sounding Medicine Man Revisited, and Walking For Faces with its fat-laced, slow-burning funk. Guests include Mara TK (Electric Wire Hustle) and Jeremy Toy (She's So Rad, Opensouls), but without a doubt the star of this show is Scratch 22. Very impressive.

4 stars from 5

* Props to Pete McLennan at dubdotdash for the Scratch 22 aka Rodi Kirk interview, which I've linked to above and just back there where the text went a different colour...