What if Tito Puente, Kraftwerk and electric Miles Davis had jammed ...what would that have sounded like? German electronic duo BerndFriedmann (aka Burnt Friedman) and Uwe Schmidt (Atom Heart, SeøorCoconut, etc.) may provide the answer with their Flanger collaboration,this being the third album in just a few years for Ninja Tune. Theirmusic is thoroughly jazz - warm, spacious, latino jazz - where everysound glows with clarity and every song comfortably glides over theeardrums, even when it's frantic. Vibes, electric and upright basses,guitar, synth, organ and some saxophone and vocoded phrases provide thepalette, framed within often complex and rapid rhythmic layers. It's aninternational affair all around with many live players recorded inSantiago, Copenhagen and Cologne, some track titles in French, Spanishand German, and the album title inspired by an essay by British sci-fiauthor J. G. Ballard. Uwe and Burnt seem to enjoy obscuring the linebetween what is programmed and what is 'played', only revealing thedigital enhancements and editing here and there, when they choose to.Not that it really matters mind you. The all important question is'does it have soul?' and the answer is a resounding 'yes'. It's anotherstellar 46 and 1/2 minutes worth of Flanger, more focused than ever.
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