Music Review: 5 Golden Years In The Wilderness

Released on the 23rd of June is a new 3 CD pack from Buzzin Fly, titled 5 Golden Years In The Wilderness, selected of course by label boss Ben Watt, and surprisingly (and pleasantly) unmixed! (Note: above image has nothing whatsoever to do with this release, I just think it's cool).

The name Ben Watt is synonymous with good music. One of the most ardent, cynical chin strokers I've ever used to go to pieces at the mention of the name, and not without reason.

This release is a fine example of Watt's sensibilities; it's an eclectic mix of upbeat house, scattered with beautiful melodies, delightful vocals and pure passion. Plenty of Watt's own work can be heard, such as A Stronger Man, Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass and Lone Cat.

Disc 1, titled Up, is a collection of the label's greatest accomplishments, deeply veined with pianos, sax, strings, trumpets and all the usual housey accouterments. In short, all the elements that have given Buzzin' Fly the excellent reputation that is has today. The highlight of this is Rodamaal feat. Nicinha - Musica Feliz (Alex S Classic Club Mix), which makes use of some understated percussion, tantalising Latino vocals, disco strings and gentle piano. It positively drips with honey. The rest of the disc follows in similar fashion, with a heavy focus on melody and vocals, backed by very danceable beats. A perfect pre-party disc.

Disc 2 is surprising in that it takes a step back where disc 1 forged ahead, consisting mainly of down tempo and chill out tunes, such as the serene One Week On Cuba by Kayot. The title, Down, is entirely descriptive of the content. Again, a heavy focus on melodies is evident, but this CD works far harder to establish mood and atmosphere than the first, which is all about the party. Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia's Mon Ange is absolutely moving, so utterly drenched in emotion and sadness that it instantly banishes the happy thoughts conveyed on the first disc, instead calling up memories of Shlomi Aber's contemplative 2007 album, State Of No One.

Disc 3, Forward, is clearly where Watt has unleashed his creativity to full extent, with bouncy, shamelessly electronic tunes paving the way for a classy end to the release. The tracks here use more artificial sounds that anywhere else on the release, full of techno bleeps and heavy pad sweeps, a reminder of the direction the label is headed in. Unfortunately, this CD is a let down in comparison to the first two, with a less conservative yet more bland selection of music and feeling very rushed, like it was tacked on at the back rather than carefully considered.

Two good discs out of three isn't a bad strike rate, really, and although disc 3 isn't as good as the rest, it's still an extremely good listen, making this release extremely tasty as a whole.


Disc 1 - Up

01 Darkmountaingroup - Lose Control
02 Ben Watt Feat Estelle - Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass (Radio Edit)
03 Rodamaal Feat Nicinha - Musica Feliz (Alex S Classic Club Mix)
04 Justin Martin - The Sad Piano (Charles Webster Remix)
05 Ben Watt - Lone Cat
06 Justin Martin - Nightowl
07 Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco - Insomnia (Ame Remix)
08 Manoo and Francois A - Traffic
09 Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia - Dead Souls (Radio Slave Remix)
10 Ben Watt Feat Sananda Maitreya - A Stronger Man

Disc 2 - Down

01 Kayot - One Week On Cuba
02 Unity - I Love You
03 Two Armadillos - Nostalgia
04 Rocco - Thursday Night Friday Morning
05 Lephtee - So Far Back (The Nova Dream Sequence Remix)
06 Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia - Mon Ange
07 Jimpster - Square Up (John Tejada Remix)
08 Automagic - Do You Feel?
09 Barbq - Barbi In Love
10 Manoo and Francois A - A Day in December

Disc 3 - Forward

01 Stimming - Kleine Nachtmusik
02 Barbq - Music From The Great Plains
03 Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco - Insomnia (Kemistry Remix)
04 Spencer Parker - Chiho
05 Gavin Herlihy - Give Me A Funf
06 Lovebirds - The Beat Goes Boom
07 Here Today - Good News