Lee Jones is probably one of the artists most followed here in the minimaland in the last months. With so many things appearing on the scene everyday, it’s just our excuse to Lee and trying to explain why we didn’t realised before his genius! Is a truly musician, and even if we noticed that My My had great releases in the past, and we posted it in our old blog, Lee Jones reveals now as one of the major keys to My My’s trio (Carsten Klemann, Lee Jones, Nick Höppner) magnificent productions. We’ve heard and thinked “This guy has the gift”, cause he shows so many personalities in music, great production patterns and haves the power to metamorphose. Definitely a great attention to details, unexpected sounds in fitted patterns, positive vibes and well worked rhythms mark the huge passion that Lee can pass in his tracks to the listener.
This Album, released on Aus Music, it’s a demonstration of his roots and his influences since he started his career as a musician in different music records. Every music here haves a personality and a harmony as itself. You can say an artist haves it’s own fingerprint producing, and Lee, for sure haves it, but the way he can mould the musics in such different ways and patterns confuses even the best ear. One thing is certain, they have an individual character.
Because I don’t wanna get lost describing the Album, here are the release notes:
“Lee Jones lived in London until 2002, where he was producing and remixing as the successful downtempo/ nu-jazz artist Hefner. After following his heart to Berlin, he was inspired by the music and clubs to move into a new production style over the past 6 years. Most recently he’s become known as the main creative force behind MyMy, whose debut album ‘Songs For The Gentle’ on Playhouse made waves across the globe. Since 2007 he’s released his beautiful solo works on Aus Music and Just, whilst also collaborating with Berlin local hero Daniel Dreier on releases for Upon You and releasing new MyMy material on Berlin’s illustrious Ostgut Ton imprint. Having recently returned from the US and Japan performing live dates with Nick Höppner as MyMy, he also has a busy DJing schedule around Europe and continues to promote the popular monthly clubnight at Watergate ‘MyMy and friends..’. His debut solo album ‘Electronic Frank’ nearly never was after his apartment was burgled the week of mastering, but happily its been rescued and will be accompanied by two 12”s featuring remixes from Stimming and The Mole.
‘Electronic Frank’ is full of surprising and heart warming moments that open out unexpectedly from richly textured grooves. Every Click Matters – there’s no padding in Lee’s music. He pulls melody and harmony from the most abstract places and spaces, yet makes them work together like few producers can. His wistful melodies combined with his spacious programming allows you to drift off into your own thoughts, yet the detail in the sound design can snap you back to reality in a second.
The first half of the album is a lush, rich intricate tapestry. Quirky and playful. Inviting and detailed. Full of real instrumentation and uplifting, yet introspective and often melancholic melody. The pace is gentle, the vibe relaxed. Individually sung words and vocal snippets lend a human touch and when layered with an imaginary orchestra full of opulent harps, sweeping strings, delicate pianos, bouncy accordion’s and all manor of weird and wonderful instruments it creates a dramatic effect.
From ‘Roadwork’ onwards the intensity increases giving us an insight as to why Lee’s MyMy alias works so well in a club context. On ‘Roadwork’ and ‘The Secret’ the groove is stripped back giving the melodies a feeling of space and power. The mood darkens with the sinister guitar licks of ‘Shoe Shine’ before the intensity dial is cranked up fully with ‘Every Click Matters’, which sounds like Timbaland might if he’d hung out in Berlin for the last 5 years with fabulous fruits in fancy dress……’It Is Isn’t It’ and ‘Safari’ are drawn from equally freakish sound pallets – trumpets (real and of the Elephant variety), flutes, timpani, insect sounds, bird calls and the list goes on. They are percussively explosive, rhythmically beguiling, full of surprises and packed with sounds and influences that on paper shouldn’t work but in practice do. Brilliantly. The climax of the album is ‘MDMazing’ and we think the title says it all. Don’t take it too seriously, it’s supposed to make you smile.”
Making my own perspective in this album, I must say that reminds me a lot the Peter Kruder & Richard Dorfmeister productions. Not in the style of music, but because this is one of the few albums that always feels fresh when you listen it… And, well, I’ve been listening to Lee’s Album since a couple of weeks, and everyday I simply cannot resist to put it again. This album is pure and simply to delight our senses and free our mind… It’s incredible the harmony that transmits to the listener, and probably, in exception of the last three tracks that are a little bit more “moved”, the registry maintains pretty much the same. Who is expecting something to share clubbing around, could be disappointed. In this record I really imagine feeling it in a beach, closing a party and the sun rising on a gorgeous horizon! Really happiness and good vibe tracks. Who can really understand and open the senses to this album, and Lee’s productions, understand why I’ll say that this is gentleman’s music… How it feels? Well… Feels happy, feels fresh, feels Lee :)
Tracklisting:
01 Beginn
02 Theme for Frank
03 Soon
04 White Rabbit
05 Fun Runner
06 Honey & Ginger
07 Kinder Country
08 Roadwork
09 Shoe Shine
10 The Secret
11 Every Click Matters
12 It Is Isn’t It
13 Safari
14 MDMAzing
#Catalog: AUSCD02
Rls Date: 29.09.2008
Listen to the entire album HERE!
Roland Appel started producing music and spinning records in the early nineties. He was a member of Fauna Flash ( together with Christian Prommer ) and the Trüby Trio (with rainer trüby + Christian Prommer ). They successfully produced 3 studio albums. In 2002 he released one album with his Peter Kruder and another with Christian Prommer – Voom:Voom .With every project he toured the world and playing clubs and festivals from Montreal Jazz Festival, Sonar Festival to Fabric London, New York, Berlin and Tokyo.
