Reviews 210: Sorcerer
Last time I checked in with Sorcerer (@sorcerermusic), he was cruising on bombastic funk waves, late night rhythms, spy movie guitars, and trippy synth atmospheres with Dream Season. But the intervening time has not been idle for Daniel Saxon Judd, who also released Hope for the Future on Real Balearic, contributed guitars to Hatchback’s stunning Year of the Dragon, and experienced something akin to a career retrospective with the 2xLP reissues of White Magic and Neon Leon on Be With (as well as an accompanying and typically excellent interview conducted by Dr. Rob at Ban Ban Ton Ton). Showing no signs of slowing down, Sorcerer starts out 2019 very strong with Tropic Nice on eclectics, featuring two sun-dappled originals of exotic funk, popping breakbeats, paradise island guitars, futuristic idiophone cascades, and infectious bass sensuality. As per usual with eclectics, the stellar originals are backed by adventurous remixes, one of which comes from NOTI (otherwise known as Neil Diablo), who transforms “Softest Rebound” into a euphoric journey of balearic house beauty led by shimmering pianos and solar dub echoes. And the other remix is no less transformative, with Jac the Disco stripping away most of “Tropic Nice” and using what remains to explore realms of cosmic disco and interstellar club power.
Sorcerer - Tropic Nice (eclectics, 2019) The title track bounces in on bulbous and rubbery basslines while methodical hand drums lock into mechanical loops. The mix is suffused with subtle yet psychoactive dub textures…these shadowy air movements, sizzling vapors, and otherworldly hisses that seem to move backwards and forwards through time. Melodious and synthetic mallet instruments cutting the difference between balafons and e-pianos melt over the mix as the snares drop in, giving further hypnotic energy to the body moving grooves. Then come the paradise guitar riffs dropping palm-muted dreamscapes that evoke the feeling of swaying in a hammock as a warm sea breeze caresses the skin. The repetitive sunshine riffs are overlaid by melting slides and wailing leads while fried electro waves and heady percussive fx suffuse the air with vibrant movements. At some point, a rolling sub-bass groove flows over the rubber band funk lines, everything swaying narcotically as the track launches towards colorburst cloudrealms where bleary-eyed guitar solos weave spellbinding panoramas that are smeared into a liquid echo haze. And near the end...almost buried within the tropical grooves...sits a playful synth-marimba solo that brings a sort of Caribbean jazz fusion flavor to Sorcerer’s boogie heat.
The other original is “Softed Rebound,” which comes to life on three-dimensional squelching bass synths that are danced above by percolating bell tone melodies and e-piano chords…everything chiming and resonating like ocean crystals. Stuttering hats and shuffling breaks hold down a sunset groove with soft fusion leads that slide through magical twilight melodies alongside melodious chords. Ghostly guitar harmonics sit deep in the background ether sounding almost like steel drums as they morph through harsh echowaves and at some point, effervescent funk riffs start flying from all directions, resulting in a psychedelic conversation between color clouds of jamming guitar magic. The track shifts drastically towards the middle, as massive pads wash the spirit clean while trailing sea blue vapors that waver before fading. It all grows increasingly triumphant, with Daniel’s blissed out guitars and repetitive riff pulsations working the mind and body into fantasy trance motions. All the while, the cooler than cool breaks are led by ultra-tight hi-hat accents and sometimes back into a vibed out glide, while at others times they charge through the cosmos with an infectious energy…everything surfing on positivity waves as skittering cymbals and scatting guitars weave webs of enchantment…like downtown 70s funk blasted through a dayglo stargate.
NOTI’s remix of “Softest Rebound” morphs and mutates Daniel’s guitar through sunshine reggae echoes while four-four kicks and alien aquatics fly through the stereo field. Snares smash through galactic reverb caverns as percolating sequences and tropical Berlin school patterns dance through the sky until all of the sudden, we find ourselves submerged in an oceanic house groove led by deeper than deep basslines and melancholic chord fogs. Massive four-to-the-floor rhythms are swarmed around by skipping woodblocks and sleigh bells, spiritual jazz pianos float on ethereal currents, and the shimmering guitars eventually recede, being replaced cosmic synth orchestrations and paradise ivory incantations. There’s a rhythmic drop that leaves behind a soulful ambient passage adorned by glittering sonic hazes, euphoric post-classical synth meditations, and the ever entrancing pianos…everything coming together for a horizontal float down a river of dreams. Towards the end, the banging rhythms fly solo, joined only by zany oscillations and lackadaisical guitars dropping airy riffs and solo slides that could seemingly evaporate at any moment. And there’s also an ambient coda featuring seaside fantasy sequences, maddening insect conversations, starshine tapestries, and the ever present snares cracking through the air.
Jac the Disco’s version of “Tropic Nice” sees minimal dial tones pulsing over slamming clubs beats, panning hi-hat layers, and irresistible storm surges of energy. The bassline is truly insane…this fat cosmic slab of greasy disco heat that grooves forever upwards with vague airs of MJ at his most spaced out. Dripping synth liquids move throughout the mix like glowing and wiggling soundstreaks that are increasingly shrouded by deep space reverb fx and jacking clap patterns stoke dancefloor mayhem as the whole thing works itself into a interstellar groove ritual. There’s a brief but tranced out drop where galactic synth layers merge and modulate through cold sonic expanses as sparse skeletal beats march continually onwards. And when the loved up and bottom heavy rhythms return, they bring with them searing vibrato waves that push the track towards overwhelming levels of dark euphoria. The original song is almost totally lost, with Jac the Disco instead reveling in a sensual utopia of muscular disco rhythmics and throbbing bassline firestorms…with everything swirled around by aqueous arps and submarine sound vortices.
(image taken from the label’s bandcamp)