Atlantic Oscillations

Album review

Will Holland, aka Quantic, has finally made his return as a solo artist. The prolific musician and boss of Tru Thoughts record label has kept himself busy with a number of side projects, including releasing a jazz album with The Western Transient and a dub album with Flowering Inferno. Five years since the release of his album Magnetica he now brings us the sequel, Atlantic Oscillations. It features a track with the same name which he describes as an intentionally “bad disco tune”, reminiscent of the edits played by DJs in Brooklyn. it was here that he settled after living in Columbia for several years.

Quantic blends disco, soul, pop, electro, Latin and African rhythms, synthetic and natural sounds together as seamlessly as ever. Incendium is a beautiful track in a slightly breezier Daft Punk-esque style, whereas September Blues is much groovier with its string instrumentals. Tierra Mama features Colombian singer Nidia Góngora and provides the perfect soundtrack for a ride along the Pacific coast exploring Afro-Cuban styles. You’ll also find Motivic Retrograde with its synth-amplified Malian guitar riff that almost sounds like glass rubbing, as well as the marimba in La Reflexión. Last but not least is Now or Never featuring the superb, soulful vocals of Alice Russell, making this album even classier. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz