Thomas Blanchot aka mato is almost a guarantee for excellent analogue productions made in France - just remember his interpretation of Daft Punk's "Homework", the film music tribute "Holywoo Dub", the excursion into e-music "Classical Dub' and finally his nod to the horror genre 'Scary Dub". So far there has been dubblog.de good to very good reviews, although we are more concerned with instrumental than Dub-Albums have to do. Not that Mato is stingy with effects - on the contrary: Echo, Hall & Co. fit so well into the overall picture that the focus is more on musical excellence and fine arrangements.
Part of the success of the Mato works is certainly their recognition value: the originals are well known; their reggae or Dub-Surprise interpretations. So far at least, because this recognition effect is missing in Mato's new release "jazz funk Dub Tribute" fully. This is of course a very subjective statement; Listeners who are at home in the jazz-funk genre - particularly the recordings of the 1070s - will probably celebrate the new reggae interpretations. The reviewer, on the other hand, completely lacks this connection, even though the originals come from funk greats like Kool & The Gang, War, Grover Washington Jr. and jazz greats like Lonnie Liston Smith or Weather Report.
The bottom line is that Mato delivers on his not exactly original but aptly titled “Jazz-Funk Dub Tribute" from first-class craftsmanship again, no question. Everything is where it belongs, you can't complain - the will for perfection is there, the will for musical development is not. Similar instruments and arrangements, no matter how perfect they may be, could already be heard on earlier albums - but this time the spark is missing, the desire for something new, for experimentation and the courage to leave the beaten path. The reviewer would like more artistic risk, more surprises, less fabric softener. And he doesn't wish for any more fade-outs either - they could be seen as a reference to the 70s, but in 2022 they seem like a work avoidance characterized by a lack of imagination... doesn't have to be, Mato.
6 Responses to “Mato: Jazz-Funk Dub Tribute"
Yo! The way you describe or review it here, I actually felt it immediately. I'm sticking with the only multi-piece recognizable I've found on this new album.
There would be "the musical excellence", "the fine arrangements" and everything is almost perfectly in its place. In short, I'm listening to fine and mostly very crisp riddims again, to describe it a little in my own words.
Basically, Mato remains "my thing" but I'm very spoiled, as I wrote earlier today, so the album stays in the stream and I don't care anymore.
So long…………… lemmi
I'm also a big fan of Mato's productions, no question. But I don't notice any development over several albums, everything seems to repeat itself in the best quality. On the other hand: You can never have enough of a good thing :-)
I still have a question about the “fade outs”. I have no idea, but it also makes sense for me that – in German –
the fade-outs are meant ;-) ( I'm still tired ... )
Of course, I also find it much better if everyone tunes everyone Dub ends like at live concerts. The drummer plays a few clear "patterns" (?) the band knows and the "final offensive" begins. And ends with a more or less pompous one
exit ! Yes, very seldom do they fade out live, which, especially when played live, can sometimes create a slightly mystical magic. But basically I think that such a "classic" ending without a "fade-out" would have to be less work, because on the original tape or on the hard drive every tune is definitely on it with a beginning - main part and ending. I don't even dare to think that the fade-outs are made because the actual conclusion would have come much later and would have blown the album's time frame. That is then also a "sneaky" and "nasty"
Form of "compression" (or is it called compression? .... you choose something). There could be a more appropriate word than compression, but it has such a brutal and inhuman background that it doesn't allow me to write the word here.
“Fade Out” ………. No thank you ! ………………………. lemmi
Fade out, fading out... it's definitely the continuous “decreasing” at the end of a piece of music until nothing can be heard anymore.
An arranged end/“closing chord”/ending – or whatever you want to call it – on the other hand, must first be thought up, implemented and then inserted at a suitable point in the overall arrangement. It's a lot less effort to simply let a riddim run longer or to import it longer - a good example of this is "Sly & Robbie Dub Serge", who would have benefited from a few edits:
https://open.spotify.com/album/7zG1qR4AAFsWYoapKxzNZ2?si=Wg6yQaAaTYmwto-A-pRlNA
Such long tracks could then be ended easily-peasy at the desired point by leisurely turning down the volume. This is not complex and, as already mentioned in the review, unimaginative. For live performances you need an arranged ending anyway, because – as lemmi aptly remarked – live fade outs are extremely rare and cannot really be fully implemented on stage.
There is also the option of simply switching off or stopping the turntable. Then the tune slowly drags on towards the end ….. came or comes in the “sound system style” occasionally quite well. But really only occasionally, because you don't always want something like that. That was also celebrated Live and Direct and is really good. I also think it's really difficult for a band to do that, because everyone has to slow down the beat at the same time. And it's really good - at least for me - when the band continues to play this tune at the normal speed. I know it especially from Steel Pulse. They had it firmly in the program and also on the “Rastafri Centennial” they managed it in a most magical way with a tune (I just don't feel like checking which one exactly) - for my taste. What does "get it" mean? They celebrated it to the point!
( I don't think such a computer and thus music from the stream is available for that either ..... )
Just a side note, because I like to chat about everything that has to do with reggae.
So long ………… .. lemmi
Hi Guys,
only people we love can disappoint us.
Thanks for all that love!
(Written with a final arrangement (!) but no fade out…) ;)
MATO