- While Toronto's shimmering house scene seems to produce acts like Art Department, Nitin and James Teej, Montreal is a more understated house purveyor, cut from distinctly vintage cloth. Tazz has been part of the city's compact scene for over a decade, although his studio work is only a recent development. Initial EPs on Jus-Ed's Underground Quality imprint and a pair last year on Kevin Griffiths' Tsuba have marked him out as one to watch; and now in 2012 both Tazz and Tsuba take their first leap into the full-length format. As debuts go, Adventures of Tazz is a highly accomplished offering, one that belies the handful of records the Canadian's previously produced.
Even at first listen, it's not hard to recognise Tazz's inspirations. Such open amour to Detroit could feel like a lazy tribute if done half-heartedly, although in his hands it's a joyous exposition, flush with intertwining melodies, and crisp, fizzing percussion. Opener "Giovanni's Keys," named after Tazz's regular collaborator, mines rich analogue seams with cascading synth patterns and wandering low-end, employed with a rawness that gives the cut a live feel. It's a recurring theme across the ten tracks here, with form and melody that revel in uncluttered structure and orbit freely around their centre.
The resultant unshackled feel works well across the album's length, from "Worked It"'s classic plucked strings and bright percs, to the onomatopoeic "Wobble Theory," whose bleeps and airy pads play over the bassline throb, swirling into chunky fx just as they edge towards the formulaic. Despite their sometimes sparse and unreconstructed feel, there's real warmth and zip to Tazz's arrangements that prevent any idea becoming stale or stuck, executing a deft switch to take the listener in an unexpected direction whenever it approaches normality.
For a first album, Adventures of Tazz stands apart from its influences despite their overt presence. Tazz matches his melodies with a commitment to a style that's comfortably fuzzy and lacking in the smooth edges of many of his contemporaries, and while it may not please everyone, it's good to hear an album that purposefully moves away from the path of least resistance.
Tracklist 01. Giovanni's Keys
02. Worked It feat. Bacanito
03. Many Reasons!
04. Captain Groove & The Oscillators
05. That's What "It" Said
06. La Salade Techno
07. Wobble Theory feat. Giovanni
08. Little Yellow Synth
09. Underground 07 (Bonus Track)
10. Welcome To Dub feat. Giovanni (Kevin Griffiths Mix) (Bonus Track)