Shapes 08:02 reviewed by Duck
January 5th, 2009 by duck
Tru Thoughts’s “Shapes” series acts as a sampler for the Brighton label’s prodigious output, featuring both album tracks and remixes of established favourites. “Shapes 08:02” is divided into two distinct discs, the first “Shapes” tackling more laid back fare, whilst the second disc “DJ Tracks”, as the name suggests, concentrates firmly on dance floor material.
The “Shapes” disc certainly features some real high points. The combination of Unforscene and Canadian vocalist Kinny on “2546 Nice” results in a smoky, dub influenced broken beat groove that sounds as fresh as a daisy, and Unforscene’s other contribution “Alright” pleasantly recalls the work of G.Love for Jack Johnson’s Brushfire label. Likewise Milez Benjamin’s P-funk inflected “Hold Your Head Up” is the kind of spaced out future funk that we’ve certainly not heard enough of from the label, and the Trus’ Me remix of Belleruche’s early single “Reflection” twists the vocal’s original groove so far as to make it almost unrecognisable – and not in a bad way. Unfortunately (for this reviewer at least) a lot of the remaining music feels like the kind of neo-acid jazz that Gilles Peterson might use to bulk out a week of particularly slim pickings for his Worldwide show. Pleasant enough to listen to, but not the kind of thing to have you dragging open your wallet and emptying the contents on a record shop counter in your haste to get it home. Particularly guilty are the sub-Minnie Ripperton “Prayer” from Lizzy Parks and Marc Mac’s remix of the Bamboo’s “I Don’t Wanna Stop”, which sounds uncannily like mid-nineties Brand New Heavies.
The second disc, “DJ Tracks”, is for me the stronger collection by a nose. Kicking off with Bassnectar’s slightly unhinged remix of Me & You’s “Last Night” – which only just hangs together with the original sample, and is all the better for it – some of the music here takes a far more experimental tone, and there’s a little more on offer to pique the interest. Particular highlights are the remix of the Hypnotic Brass Band’s “Get Up” by Diesler, and Barakas’s break heavy “Kes”. Also worthy of a mention – and listening to very loud – is the Bullion remix of Natural Self’s “The Rising”. Which I’m not sure actually works at all. But it is at the very least sonically fascinating – glitch-dub-funk anyone? Having sung it’s praises thus far, it has to be admitted that the second disc also features plenty of, to coin a phrase, “Tru Thoughts by numbers.”
Overall “Shapes 08:02” is a good way to get an overview of the current Tru Thoughts stable, and at only £4.99 it’s certainly good value. Unfortunately in this day and age – when a swift listen to an artist’s myspace page serves the same purpose –as an album the compilation is a little on the patchy side. For those who lap up everything Tru Thoughts release it represents a total bargain. For me, whilst it’s often a real positive for a label to have such a strong identity, with their tenth anniversary approaching I hope Tru Thoughts will feel confident enough to branch out and provide us with a few more real surprises in the future.
