A ten-track journey that defies classification with a successful combination of eclecticism, brilliant sound-sculpting and exotic adventurousness.
It’s been almost thirteen years since Peter Heider and Florian Seyberth released their debut album as Boozoo Bajou. They have been often classified as chillout, downtempo, dub and electronica, and while all these tags loosely fit to all their past outputs, 4, their new and fourth album, is a ten-track journey that defies classification with a successful combination of eclecticism, brilliant sound-sculpting and exotic adventurousness. No doubt this is their most daring work yet. 4 demonstrates a change in style, color and movement, thanks to its creators’ explorative spirits and constant urge to push things forward. It also marks a label shift—after eight years with Studio !K7, the duo felt it’s time for a change, and found a new home in the ambient division of R&S Records, Apollo.
The ten sonic inkblots are effortless and dynamic in movement, seductive and mystical in atmosphere and color, and even though made both of organic and synthetic materials, entirely organic and natural in texture. Space is a key element, each layer has enough in order to drift and shine in a way that compliments its co-conspirators. Heider and Seyberth pay so much care and attention to every sound, they treat every shade with love and skillfulness. Warm, hovering jazzy scents flirt with frosty Nordic vibes; dangerous fragments of dub and dub techno flicker and twist; flavors of otherworldly ambient undulate. Harmony and haziness beautifully collide.
4 features wonderful contributions by Frank Zeidler (guitar on “Jan Mayen,” “Phonetrik,” “S.A.E” and “Your Weak Fire”), Stefan Pötzsch (violin, viola and mbira thumb piano on “Der Kran” and “Tiefdruck-Hochdruck”), Markus Stockhausen (flugelhorn on “Jan Mayen”), Max Loderbauer (additional synth work on “Utsira,” “Hirta” and “Tiefdruck-Hochdruck”) and Frank Freitag (duduk on “Hirta”). Great albums often come with great artwork, and this applies on 4. It comes with the most striking and evocative artwork by Werner Knaupp. And just like with the music, deep dives into the artwork will reveal more details and subtleties.
Truly unique albums don’t hit the musical sphere every day, and when they do it’s usually not easy to find them; one has to visit and explore the far-flung fringes of the musical sphere often in order to find sonic treasures, and of course an open mind is required, and a bit of luck can’t hurt. If you haven’t heard of Boozoo Bajou before, and are now reading these words, be happy, as you have stumbled upon a sonic treasure. If you are already fans of Boozoo Bajou, I assume 4 has already been warming your hearts and stirring your minds frequently, and who knows, might be pleasuring your ears right now. 2014 year end Best Of lists await.
4 is available on R&S/Apollo.
