Bienvenida

Album review

Using electronic tools to make electronic music that isn't meant to sound electronic, but rather organic, used to be the path to folly. Now, a great many artists (an abnormal number of whom record for F Comm) have paved that way, developing techniques that allow for a single producer and perhaps a handful of guest musicians to actually sound like a full samba orchestra from outer space. As an accomplished musician, Alexis Mauri knows right where the line is drawn between the natural sounds of acoustic instruments and the unnatural sounds of synthesized modules. And on his debut album, he stays safely on the left. Whether creating the loopy disco lick of "Esmeralda" or the dubby strut of "Strawberry Lane," it's hard not to picture a full group of seasoned musicians riffing through each cut. Yes, those are live horns on "Arboré, Pt. 1," and live double bass (courtesy of Brouno Rousselet) appears on most tracks. Even the inherently synthetic scratching on the soul ballad "Not Every Angel" is performed live by DJ Seep. Alexkid creates a hyper-talented musical world where natural instruments are played with supernatural precision and the mechanisms behind this perfection are carefully hidden from plain view.
© Joshua Glazer /TiVo