Art Of Tones begins his first solo album with a practical joke: a sample of a New Age instructional guru imploring his audience not to pirate his CDs, with a laugh track growing in intensity to answer every line about illegal samples, copyright control and piracy. And from there, it’s some serious fucking funk.
Art Of Tones shows a mastery for “modern roots” and his Unbalanced LP is filled with a riot of colors and sounds.
“Have Fun For A Little” is one of the best tracks of the last year – just a relentless groove and it sounds so good you have to clap or practice your air drummer chops. Art Of Tones has collected an arsenal of weapons and lets them all loose in an album that has more peaks than a fireworks display. He goes looking for The One and seems to have found it on “Where One Is,” and finds traces of it in the steely metallic growl of “Grow” as well.
Like Art Of Tones, I keep waiting for Local Talk to miss – to release something that doesn’t capture both the swing of a dancefloor and the jaundiced eye of industry burnouts who think we’ve seen everything twice. They’re keeping me waiting.
Art Of Tones: Unbalanced / Local Talk
1. Art Of Tones: Prolégomènes (01:43)
2. Art Of Tones: Have Fun For A Little (04:34)
3. Art Of Tones: Keep On Having Fun (05:26)
4. Art Of Tones: Where The One Is (05:28)
5. Art Of Tones: Radio Hustle (05:22)
6. Art Of Tones: A Comfort Zone (04:23)
7. Art Of Tones: Grow (06:13)
8. Art Of Tones: To The Limit (04:11)
9. Art Of Tones: I Can (04:52)
10. Art Of Tones: Stand Up (06:23)
11. Art Of Tones: Rainbow Song (2018 Rework) (05:03)
The High Life: Originally published inside #5Mag168 with Detroit Swindle, Faze Action, Lonely C (Soul Clap), gear, vintage synths, new music and more. Help support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
