90's Acid Jazz: Classic or Deathly Dud!

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I just realized that I own discs by Marden Hill, The Brand New Heavies and Sandals.

Should I kill myself?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

The Brand New Heavies "Heavy Rhyme Experience" has its moments. How's that for a ringing endorsement... I own some comps of this stuff, I guess at the time I thought of it as an adjunct to the old school funk stuff I was also getting into around then. But most of it is really just too cold and slick and pointless.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 9 November 2004 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I love that first Sandals album, it's stoned and grubby enough to avoid the politeness of most Acid Jazz, plus it seems to me to actually try for something more than bogus retro chic.

Most other AJ I find pleasant enough, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. I don't know about the States, but in the UK a lot of the people that championed this stuff were the sort of soulless lifestyle-magazine-reading chumps that make me avoid expensive bars.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

in the States - or at least, in the Bay Area - it was pushed more by the undie hip-hop types, there was a crate digger angle to it. The Groove Merchant record store (and their Ubiquity label) pretty much epitomized it - bearded dope-smokin white hip hop guys into old Blue Note funk records.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 9 November 2004 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

brand new heavies definitely have their moments. there's about 3 or 4 of them. moments, that is. the track 'brother sister' is one of them. and there's some stuff on the first record, too. their version of 'you've got a friend' is appaling, though.

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Where did the term "Acid Jazz" come from, anyway? You'd think with a genre title like that, the music would sound a little more daring.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I have a handful of LPs in the acid jazz vein, mostly stuff in the vein of early-'70s organ based or guitar based soul jazz. I have a couple of UBiquity comps as well, both good. Most of it...meh.

― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 02:20 (twenty-one years ago)

apocryphally gilles p invented the name it as a joke viz acid house to describe the sets he was playing at dingwalls (which i don't think actually conformed to those usual acid jazz stereotypes which can be found on eddie pillars label of same name)

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

There were a lot of classic tracks, a lot on Dorado I think. "D*Votion" is Acid Jazz right?

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 02:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i think dorado was the smart persons acid jazz.

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

theres a great acid jazz track by Working Week with Jamal from the Last Poets that totally lives up to the name.

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 02:38 (twenty-one years ago)

The comps I have are great!

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The death of jungle = thinking acid jazz was the way to go. Or so it seemed at the time.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:10 (twenty-one years ago)

i think the insistence on things being somehow "organic" made me turn away. the real people playing real instruments schtick. and ultimately the relentless politeness of much of the music.

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

what are the comps you have sundar?

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

The death of jungle = thinking acid jazz was the way to go. Or so it seemed at the time.

Actually, Acid Jazz predates Jungle to my mind.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:25 (twenty-one years ago)

yes i think so too. but there was a move in drum'n'bass toward the "real" instrumentation of acid jazz (rhodes in particular)and a shying away from crazy jump cuts and unheard of juxtaposition that signalled a move away from the hyper-real or surreal that was what a lot of people loved about jungle.

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:33 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry

yes i think so too. but there was a move in drum'n'bass toward the "real" instrumentation of acid jazz (rhodes in particular) - and a shying away from crazy jump cuts and unheard of juxtaposition - that signalled a move away from the hyper-real or surreal that was what a lot of people loved about jungle.

― bulbs (bulbs), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

The Very Best of This Is Acid Jazz: A Ten-Year Celebration, particularly disc 2 (incl Chris Bangs - "Dazzle" – which I think is great - and James Hardway - "Vibe Merchant"). I also have The Best of Acid Jazz Vol 2, which is much more pop but enough of it is still fun. (Highlights include Mica Paris – “My One Temptation” and Incognito – “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”).

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 04:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, Acid Jazz predates Jungle to my mind.

Oh, it does, I meant the change in more of a 'ah, let's get QUALITY now' sense. Which, as bulbs noted, meant a terrible dulling down of the original skew-whiff WTFness of early jungle.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 05:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Acid as in Acid-Washed maybe?

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, you're probably thinking of broken beat (ugh).

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 06:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember hearing Journey Inwards by LTJ Bukem and guessing how long til it was played on KCRW.

didn't take wine-and-cheese party DJ Jason Bentley long to jump on it...

― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 09:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Loads of good stuff on Dorado, especially Jhelisa (first two albums), D*Note, Brooklyn Funk Essentials (Cool And Steady And Easy) and Dana Bryant (Dominican Girdles). Also used to love those "Rebirth Of The Cool" compilations.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 10:27 (twenty-one years ago)

the relentless politeness of much of the music.

This is a perfect description.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember hearing Journey Inwards by LTJ Bukem and guessing how long til it was played on KCRW.

Spot on, sir.

Matos is probably right as well, though I don't recall ever hearing anything consciously describing like that to me.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, Journey Inwards is acid jazz? I love that too. Is Fila Brazilia acid jazz? I really like this style, I think. It's trippy and pretty. This is creative, interesting music with a lot of sonic depth. I still find it bizarre that a board that seems to worship the Pet Shop Boys and Pulp can a) think 'politeness' and 'slick overproduction' (going back to the "jazz plague" thread) are inherently bad things and b) think these qualities are more present in LTJ Bukem or Chris Bangs.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I do understand it but I'm annoyed by it.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I still find it bizarre that a board that seems to worship the Pet Shop Boys and Pulp can a) think 'politeness' and 'slick overproduction' (going back to the "jazz plague" thread) are inherently bad things and b) think these qualities are more present in LTJ Bukem or Chris Bangs.

The difference here can be summed up in a key word you've left out -- 'boring.' You might feel PSB/Pulp are boring as hell with their polite turns, etc., I often feel LTJ is with his, etc.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

It's just intricate groove-based jamming, trance through repetition type stuff. Alex, maybe you could try to look at it in terms of something like "The Fish" or "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 10 November 2004 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't actually dislike it, honestly. I quite like the Sandals record. The Brand New Heavies I could do without. The Marden Hill disc I heard in some swank-o bar one night in the mid-90's and thought "right, this is for me!", but has only been played a handful of times.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 11 November 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

That Young Disciples album is terrible. So is the Groove Collective. And DJ Greyboy. The Brand New Heavies are terrible unless rappers are involved.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Thursday, 11 November 2004 01:00 (twenty-one years ago)

"Dream On Dreamer" reminds me of a particularly bleak time of my life, so suffice to say....it doesn't get a lot of airplay at Chez In Nyc.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 11 November 2004 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

That Young Disciples album is terrible

Maybe, never heard it, but 'apparently nothing' not getting nommed for the best 100 singles of the 90's is a heinous oversight.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 11 November 2004 03:59 (twenty-one years ago)

ah its not terrible. its a bit all over the shop.

― bulbs (bulbs), Thursday, 11 November 2004 04:46 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

some of you may associate Alex with Killing Joke, but I associate him with the Brand New Heavies.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Sunday, 10 April 2005 20:13 (twenty-one years ago)

This genre basically got half of its credibility from its (wrong) use of the word "acid", and the other half of its credibility from its (wrong) use of the word "jazz".

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 11 April 2005 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Dud.

― zeus, Monday, 11 April 2005 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic as an early 90's gateway drug to actual funk music and crate digging.

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Monday, 11 April 2005 20:29 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Got a 2 disc compilation of this today, mainly out of curiousity.

Sounds like House with late 80s session musicians?

Don't mind it, though.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 9 February 2008 01:58 (eighteen years ago)

Medeski Martin & Wood released some good records in the 90s....all three can actually play beyond stale jazz-funk riffing (their freer material is surprisingly good too), which kept their 90s releases from getting too bogged-down in coffee shop/lounge cheese. The two collab records w/John Scoffield are shit though, as are the last few funky-enough-for-the-jamband-community records (starting with 2000's The Dropper, go figure)

― Malcolm Money, Saturday, 9 February 2008 03:44 (eighteen years ago)

Please tell me there's no Aughties acid jazz...please...

The thing in a nutshell:

This genre basically got half of its credibility from its (wrong) use of the word "acid", and the other half of its credibility from its (wrong) use of the word "jazz".

― Kevin John Bozelka, Saturday, 9 February 2008 06:16 (eighteen years ago)

This seems too polite and inoffensive to inspire any heated feelings at all, really.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 9 February 2008 06:21 (eighteen years ago)

Given the rigid border patrolling in dance music and the institutionalization of jazz as America's classical music, it's very easy to see why this genre inspires heated feelings.

Plus, "polite" and "inoffensive" have been the bane of rock-n-roll since Chuck Berry (at least). Come think of it, dance music and jazz don't have all that much use for them either.

― Kevin John Bozelka, Saturday, 9 February 2008 06:48 (eighteen years ago)

THIS GENTILITY HAS NO PLACE HERE

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 9 February 2008 07:02 (eighteen years ago)

There's nothing I'd rather hear less than Us3, which epitomizes the genre to me. I was into the Jazzmatazz albums and Brand New Heavies, and uh... some Ubiquity and Acid Jazz comps. The break beats aren't so progressive, and the Jazz aspect doesn't sound as nice as the original songs sampled.

― Bobbi Peru, Saturday, 9 February 2008 08:28 (eighteen years ago)

six years pass...

bloody hell, sandals actually recorded a second album ..

http://www.discogs.com/Sandals-Yesterdays-Tomorrow/release/2049137

really love their debut album and ep ..

seriously fugged up and not really part of the whole acid jazz scene (more skunk funk before such a genre existed)

― mark e, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 19:19 (eleven years ago)

Ian Simmonds has made some great albums. Interesting guy.

― mmmm, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 22:43 (eleven years ago)

tell me more.

― mark e, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 22:51 (eleven years ago)

Good albums under his own name and as Juryman. His Burgenland Dubs was recorded in relative isolation.

There's a interview here - http://www.freude-am-tanzen.com/podcasts/fatpod03/

― mmmm, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:00 (eleven years ago)

thank you.

i have a spacer album hidden deep that i dont think i have ever listened to ..

going to dig it out.

sandals hit so many of my sweet spots before the whole mo'wax trip hop thing saturated the scene.

― mark e, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:13 (eleven years ago)

juryman .. ordered.

had no idea re this life after sandals.

ta for tip off.

― mark e, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:29 (eleven years ago)

I have a Spacer album that's hella boring but not acid jazz afair

just googled him and turns out he now teaches composition at the State Conservat0rium Of Music here in Sydney

― Starland Vocal Gland (sic), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 23:57 (eleven years ago)

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