Solex vs Cristina Martinez + Jon Spencer - Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown!

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4...according to our Brian on Thu 01 Apr, 2010.

Bizzarathon collaboration from dextrous queen of sampledelica & rare Dutch groove - Solex, and Mr. & Mrs. Jon Spencer. A record bursting with Psychedelic 'n' tripped-out lounge-hop & groovy art-house blues, all brimming with a mildly kaleidoscopic & woozy essence, that's the delicious result. The old squalling electrified fuzz-guitars are muted, compressed & detached, jutting into the swinging melee occasionally without ruining the whole peaced-out retro vibe. Given that Elisabeth Esselink is from the Flatlands, this album being a potential 'erb smokers delight comes as no surprise. There's so many mesmerising layers to this recording, veering effortlessly between (good) acid jazz, flower-power hip-hop, krautrock, 60's psych-garage & funk, plus it's all stitched together so seamlessly with true professionalism! It's virtually tantamount to listening to one of the Amorphous Androgynous mixes or a great David Holmes session. A truly excellent & thoroughly enjoyable album from out of the blue(s)!!

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•   First collaboration between DJ-musician-composer, Elisabeth Esselink and the husband and wife team of Jon Spencer (of avant-punksters Pussy Galore, Boss Hog, Heavy Trash and head honcho of Blues Explosion) and Cristina Martinez, Boss Hog frontwoman. They met after Esselink DJ’ed at a gig supporting the Blues Explosion.

•   The trio immediately recorded at Esselink’s studio beneath her indie record shop in Amsterdam, and also in New York and mailed tracks between the two as they added and edited on the way. The resultant album mixes and matches the best of both their approaches, tough, eclectic, explosive, retro and yet also at the cutting edge of 21st century dance music.

•   All three points in this creative triangle had the blessing of indie tastemaker supreme, John Peel. Pussy Galore were one of his very favourite bands, while Solex recorded several sessions for his influential show. After several years on Matador, Solex now joins the buzzing Bronzerat roster, where Jon Spencer is already comfortably at home with Heavy Trash.

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