Product Description
THE FACTS: Originally conceived as the jazzman's surrender to the hip-hop beat, Kobayashi's sounds have developed into an amalgamation of electronica, jazz, trip-hop and orchestral undertones. Formed at the crack of the new millennium, this seven-headed monster wasted little time infiltrating Montreal's musical underground, and then setting its sights on the rest of the country. With a musical style set to satisfy the energetic hot-stepper, the head-bopping groove aficionado and the cerebral shadow-lurking jazz musician alike, it is fitting that Kobayashi has been blessed with a loyal and growing fan base.
THE RELEASE:
"Strange Lights and Resolutions" marks the first full-length studio effort from Montreal electro jazz merchants Kobayashi. Recorded on 24-track tape in just under a week, the album infuses mature arrangements with the energy of spontaneity and improvisation. The analog process adds the desired roundness to Kobayashi's sound - a dark blend of jazz, funk, dub and trip-hop. From gripping opener "Never Was", to the intriguing grooves of "Narn't" and the haunting pronouncements in "Shadows", the album strikes a balance between simple and sophisticated, cerebral and soulful, experimental and tasteful.
Special guest on the album is Rosina Kazi, vocalist from Toronto group LAL (voted #1 Soul album in Exclaim 2004 Year in Review).
Review
A disc that affectionately tips its hat to everything from chill-out grooves to be-bop. --Bernard Pérusse - Montreal Gazette (4 Star Review)
It shouldn't be long before Kobayashi rocks larger stages with more epic results. --Noel Dix - Exclaim!
