Hi
Kukan dUb Lagan ~ New Life New Vision :: MikelaBella Records
Released: COMING SOON
For
the past two years, Israeli music label MikelaBella Records has made a
startling impact upon an already well established scene, an achievement
as respectable as it is not easy. However, the musicianship and
technical experience of its owners and participants speak for
exponential amounts of time beyond oven that.
MikelaBella's
philosophy is one of unification rather than classification and their
showcase of styles reflect this. Having featured releases under the
genres of Electro, House, Techno, Dubstep and many more, the common
interest and criteria for the label's artist is one of quality emphasis
and attention to detail. Every artist packs years of personal music
experience under their belts, both on the dancefloor and in the studio,
as DJ and more.
This label's latest release
‘New Life New Vision’ by Kukan dUb Lagan encapsulates these ideals and
philosophies perfectly. Showcasing a dozen tracks which hail from a
rainbow of eclectic musical genres from both the traditional and
experimental spectrums of sound, yet belonging to none. The most
important aspect, and well worth emphasizing at that, of this release
that truly moves it onto its own level is its utter lack of sterility
and banality. "Kukan", despite its subtle electronic nature, feels
alive, generated directly in your immediate environment or between your
ears. It is this aspect which elevates music, and specifically this
stellar release, into true artwork masterpiece status. After you have
listened, you will understand to the fullest just what that means.
Track Samples:
Track By Track:
Colazione Dalla Nonna
This
intro piece sounds like something that came out of a smoky jazz blub or
reggae bar more than a "traditional" electronic music piece. However,
the digital elements show themselves before long, making this an
overall appropriately enjoyable introduction to the rest of this album.
La Vita
This
track is like an iced drink on a hot summer day. Chilled out, yet
refreshing and condensation-inducing, "La Vita" is built of crisp urban
percussion elements, a warming bassline, and minimal synth effects
accompanied by live horn sections. This genre-breaking arrangement has
the precision of a studio-built track with all the atmosphere of a live
music performance.
Zingari Vibes
This
old-timey intro belies a following procession of glitchy drum work
resting atop a soothing sub bassline more felt than heard. Reggae
guitar stabs quantify background wah pedals and bluesy saw waves and
subtle synth arpeggios. Funky and eclectic, this piece combines all the
best pieces of retro flavor with ultra-modern techniques and electronic
styles.
Psychedelic Funk-O-Delic
As
the name implies, this is a neuron-tickling arrangement of off-timed
drum and bass works. Cowbells clang out head nodding beats to the tune
of a heady bassline and ..mid-range riffs which order up a dancefloor
shaken, not stirred. Masterful piano work distracts you from the subtle
changes in percussive filtration and glitch placement.
The Re-Turn of the Master
Immediately
noticeable is a crunchier-than-normal bassline which contrasts nicely
against crisp, clean hihats. Roughly a minute later, the beat is in
full swing, using clever amounts of reverb and panorama which implies
spaciousness. Beautifully affected digital strings echo and bounce
about, giving this reggae-esque track a slight touch of Eastern
vibration.
Funk Me
Minimal
urban beats paint atmospheric soundscapes of smoky relaxation and
musical marriage of East and West amidst a jungle of percussive groove.
Pitch-oscillating resonance drifts between left and right as a
masterful brass section plays its way from the hinter ground to the
fore. The bassline definitely earns this track's name, with an echoed
piano adding the cherry to this sundae.
Volcano Session
This
track picks up the tempo a tad. Bass drops and a lightly housey drum
sets progress with the chugging rhythm of a choo-choo train while dirty
filtered synths build in intensity. This is one that will get you out
of your seat hand help you break free of the roots you've gathered.
Instruments both analog and digital make this piece a fruitful
collusion of wide ranges of musical spectrum.
SunSet with MikelaBella
Cacophonies
of blended daily noises throw your perceptions into short chaos before
surgically realigning them with well-placed rhythmic repetition and
harmony. Expertly panned Latin guitars influence duets against jazzy
string melodies. A bit of brass improvisation rounds out this piece to
the fullest, creating an atmosphere somewhere between a smoky blues
club and a spring mushroom garden.
Scratch
This
masterwork of electro glitch seems parented by a wedding of analog
synth bass and housey-reggae percussion. The bleeps are tasteful,
well-timed and never overused. The musical progression is smooth,
reassuringly leading you into worlds of retro synth sounds which never
remain the same from second to second, panning their oscillation rates
at regularly chaotic intervals.
New Life New Vision
This
track is obviously a piece with a meaning and dedication behind it. At
once noticeable is the attention to clarity and quality of each of the
sound elements. Bass, percussion, and lead fit amongst each other
comfortably and with plenty of breathing room to spare. A live-feeling
conga and bongo session is the highlight of this piece, slipping you
completely into the groove.
L'illusione del Capitano
Squelching
tape delay punctuates the sections of this track, making it a
department boutique of altering moods, all glued together by a
bellows-like bass and guitar using small touches of distortion. Medleys
of influence abound here, from eastern European organ, winds and brass
from even further, and Dubstep percussion from the concrete jungles
coexist in smoky harmony.