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Chris Brann never set out to make the Ananda Project
the crowning jewel of his prolific musical catalog.
When he began the outfit in 1998, (after a chance
meeting with Lancelot and Bryan of the King Street
Sounds and NiteGrooves labels) it proved to be more
than a footnote to an already illustrious career.
The prolific Atlanta-based producer had broken out
as an artist following the critical acclaim of his
Wamdue Project, Wamdue Kidz and P'Taah projects. Following
the release of the aptly titled "Release"
in 2000, and the second full-length, "Morning
Light", in 2002, the international house community
demanded more and insisted that Ananda not die. With
little splashes of Jazz, Downtempo, and Tribal House
all the way through, Relight is an addictive
rush collected on two discs that defines the term
"dancefloor friendly." Loads of the lush,
mellow grooves that I and so many others like to call
"Smooth House" are bountiful here, with
that oh-so-slightly Gay and Homo-erotic sensation
you know and love tickling you in spots unmentionable.
Immediately evident upon closer inspection of Disc
1 were the stand-out tracks "ICU" (remixed
here by DJ Spinna) and the catchy, uplifting "Kiss,
Kiss, Kiss" which is given that nightclub "Midas
touch" by Eric Kupper. An ultra-clean and bouncy
bass line carries the happy "Shouldn't Have Left
Me", and despite its title, is a beautiful shimmering
blast.
Disc 2, "Selected Remixes 1998-2005," is
a bit harder, more up-tempo and edgier; hand crafted
for those wonderful 10 p.m. Friday/Saturday-night
warm-up sessions in front of the mirror with the volume
on 9 and the phone off the hook! (Ahh. I love those
moments!! Don't you?) Seamlessly mixed from front
to back, this one makes the suggested retail price
sound like chump change; you'll WANT to spend more,
trust me. I felt bad taking this for free to review.
I owe this guy some money, because tracks like G-Pal's
New York Remix of "Falling For You" and
Timewriter's Saints and Sinners mix of "Glory,
Glory", as well as "Tangerine" and
the previously unreleased "Fantasy Suite"
are worth their weight in gold.
All in all, "Relight" is a definitive celebration
of Wamdue music at its finest, with heaping tons of
vocal charm and an incredibly all-embracing karmic
production quality. The mood is so deep on this, you
can almost smell the candles and incense burning inside
Brann's Wamdue Work Room right through your speakers!
www.kingstreetsounds.com
- www.itunes.com -- review by Carl Noone, Jr.
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