Stereo Utopia

La Terra Madre

Label: Melting Records

Genre: Freestyle / Nu Jazz / Funk / Afro

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LP €20.99

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When Spectacteur first arrived in Athens, he was greeted by the Melting Records crew and enlisted for a covert mission. The French beat-maker was already gaining steam with releases for The French Touch Connection and the beat-making collective Tour De Manege. But Melting Records asked him to go undercover as an agent of Beats & Culture, disguised in a fog of moody vibes reminiscent of past informers dealing in ‘90s trip-hop espionage. Spectacteur received coded instructions and audio samples from the Melting headquarters. Soon his new identity was born: Stereo Utopia.

La Terra Madre is Stereo Utopia’s detailed report of his first mission. The album surveys sonic travels around the globe accompanied by Stereo Utopia’s weapon of choice: phat beats. “Addis Ababa” opens with a sensuous vocal pean and heavy rhythms before punctuating horns drive the message home. The following “La Nuit” projects a musical timewarp, floating flutes and a beguiling chorus of vocals opening a door to the past. Later in the album is “Kormas,” a confident strut through Indian lands filled with jaunty percussion, rousing strings, and layers of exotica. And “Istanbul Rockers” delights with an off-kilter psychedelia as wild guitar riffs and tape-echo noises pursue its camel-led bounce.

These are only a few of the highlights — and secrets revealed — within La Terra Madre’s ten outstanding tracks. On this first mission, Stereo Utopia has opened a hidden world comprised of theatrical soundscapes and rhythmic intelligence. These shadowy beats and clandestine melodies are now yours to decipher as Stereo Utopia embarks on his next thrilling adventure.