Acid Jazz and a Jazzanova overview

Following on from my post about Outside, I’m still enjoying a bit of quality dance action. I’m trying not to refer to the music as Acid Jazz because it’s bound to make you, dear reader, at the very least shudder, perhaps recoil, maybe even cease reading this blog altogether. Too late though I guess, so maybe I’ll just talk to myself for a bit. Acid Jazz is an odd term - ‘acid’ generally either suggests ’60s psychedelia or ’90s rave; I’m not really sure what happens when it’s combined with the hugely weighty word ‘jazz’ - without doubt though, there’s something awkward about the resulting hybrid. Even if acid is interpreted as an explosive influence upon jazz music, it’s not really accurate. The music marshaled by listeners, critics and occasionally the musicians themselves into the category is usually highly - even excessively - respectful of its parent music. Jazz Dance would be a better, though less imaginative, appellation. I must confess that I’m no general fan of Acid Jazz as a whole, but the likes of the aforementioned Outside, latterday 4hero and Jazzanova are exceptions whose music doesn’t deserve to be dismissed with the rest.

Jazzanova, the six piece German DJ and music-making collective surely saw their own name as a manifesto of sorts. Again though, in my view it misses the mark. Jazz in its traditional form is about the blues and extemporisation, neither of which is overwhelmingly apparent in their music. Which is not to say that I’m not a fan of the group. Okay, let’s turn that double negative into a positive - I’m a fan of Jazzanova’s music. Why? Because they create such gorgeous, detailed, intricate, but still surprisingly emotional music.

They’ve only released one album of their own music, In Between (2002), although a soundtrack, Belle et Fou, has just been released (I haven’t heard it yet). In Between is full of guest stars, interludes, odd angles and brilliant rhythms. And it comes in a very unusual CD cover - 6 thick card pages printed on both sides through which are cut a series of squares so that the lowest card reveals the album’s title. The picture below may give more of an idea:

Jazzanova are as well-known, perhaps even better known, for their remixes. Their first album release was a double CD collection entitled The Remixes 1997-2000. It’s a gorgeous set of tunes inaugurated by their brilliant revision of 4hero’s already very special We Who Are Not As Others.

It was joined in 2005 by an equally enjoyable follow-up, surprisingly entitled The Remixes 2002-2005, tastefully clad in a reverse design of its predecessor:

This was also a two CD release - except the second CD was in fact a CDR; here’s the accompanying text: ‘2 options how to use your bonus do it yourself CD-R 1. Insert the Jazzanova Remixes red CD into your computer, click on link to Jazzanova exclusive download area and go online. Download exclusive Jazzanova music. Burn to silver CD. 2. Use bonus CD-R to copy Jazzanova Remixes for a friend, for the car…’ Nice.

Just in case they hadn’t been associated with enough remixes, there was also the Remixed double CD of other people’s versions of the In Between album. Surprisingly tasty it is too with work from the likes of Beanfield, Viktor Duplaix, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Ian O’Brien and even Stereolab.

If you want to dip your toe in and buy just one, it would be a close-run thing between In Between and the Remixes 1997-2000. Well worth a listen and a pleasure to behold in such packaging.