Reviews 069: Blank & Jones
My first encounter with Blank & Jones was rather late, coming via “Summer Trip” off 2015′s Relax: The Sunset Sessions. In the style of Cantoma and the Kenneth Bager remix of Coyote’s “Eve,” this hypnotic piece of guitar-led balearica is pure magic and led me on a deep dive into Piet’s and Jaspa’s extensive back catalogue, with a heavy focus on the Relax series and the Milchbar compilations. There is so much amazing music in this body of work, and the Relax: The Sunset Sessions series of 12”’s highlights the (recent) cream of the crop, giving selected tracks a spacious vinyl release and often times presenting them in alternate or remixed form. Out this year on Soundcolours, Relax: The Sunset Sessions 2 pulls from Milchbar // Seaside Season 9 and especially Relax Edition Ten, serving up six slices of white isle perfection, including essential sundown rerubs by Coyote and Leo Mas & Fabrice.
Blank & Jones - Relax: The Sunset Sessions 2 (Soundcolours, 2018) For me, the standout of this year’s Milchbar // Seaside Season 10 was the Leo Mas & Fabrice remix of “Good.” The duo take the track and add one of their deliciously dubwise house beats…slow and low, with huge claps ringing out over rolling hand percussion. The main sunshine melody is introduced by physical sub bass as mournful pads rain down over smooth pianos dropping those classic Blank & Jones chill out vibes. The guitar hook from the original is held back for a while, as the drums pull out at times for beatless stretches of piano-led beauty, all timeless and slathered in gooey sentimentality. And finally, the aquatic riffing emerges under hazy fx only to fade away, as the pianos overtake the mix for a gorgeous sunset climax. Elsewhere on the A-side, Pete Herbet presents an edit of Cassara’s remix of “Give It to Me,” one dominated by looping disco rhythmics and watery e-pianos. Impressive funk bass drops erotic magic with notes sliding up and down the fretboard, and housey snare work gives the beat further momentum. The flowing jazz pianos are supported by bright Chic guitars and swirling disco strings, with sultry vocals chanting “I can feel it” alongside spaced out fx, making me think of Discovery-era Daft Punk. We end the side with RunSQ’s mix of “Pelican Bay”, one of the ambient standouts from Relax Edition Ten now given the hammock house treatment. The swaying summer breeze guitars are chained to a laidback four-four and a deep grooving bassline, while the soft e-pianos of the original are now transported to smooth tropical synths. The vibe is perfect for a sunny day at the beach...cocktail in hand and toes in the sand.
Nothing from Relax Edition Ten gets me quite like “Pure Shores” and the euphoric dreamtime vocal magic of Zoe Dee. Here we get a “Special Version”, with pianos swathed in the reverb of eternity, subtle guitars laying down subdued funk riffs, and a hypnotic breakbeat groove. Zoe’s vocals evoke feelings of intense longing and sadness…as if separated from a lover across vast distances, and their power is only magnified by the wonderful waves of piano bliss, the intergalactic percussive effects, and the hypnotic spoken word snippets floating around the stereo field. Next is Finland and Aaskoven’s “Archipelago Mix” of “Rising to the Top”. Zoe appears again singing a hushed and melancholic lullaby over dramatic piano arpeggios and swelling strings. Eventually a soft jazz break fades in and the whole track sways narcotically in this downer pop haze, the mix colored by spritely flute runs and breathy vocal effects. And standing toe-to-toe with that stellar remix of “Good” is Coyote’s take on “My Island.” The original was undoubtedly a high point of Relax Edition Ten, so much so that it appeared on Moonboots’ Moments in Time compilation. Timm and Ampo employ a lighter touch than usual with their take, preserving the dreamy balearic interplay of guitar and piano over gliding drums and equatorial hand percussion. But the euphoric new age vocal pads and dubwise fx hint at the duo’s presence, as do the chunky disco pianos and the slightly psychedelic editing. And at some point, pure Coyote magic emerges as the beat gravitates towards a dubfunk swagger while jazzy keys and guitars dance around, but refuse to lock into, the original track’s blissful island melodies. The percussion moves in and out in delirious waves, slappy funk bass zoning things out even further…like instrumental hip-hop for an Ibizan sunset.
(images scanned from my personal copy)
