New Noise (www.new-noise.net)
By Charlotte Otter
Described by one reviewer as ‘Mr Scruff in a penguin suit’ Jonathan Krisp is one talented man. His latest album ‘No Horse, No Wife, No Moustache’ is a laid back concoction of beats, sounds and instruments all coming together to produce spellbinding listening. The title track is reminiscent of Bentley Rhythm Ace or the Avalanches, with spoken experts interrupting the grooving rhythms, whilst songs such as 'All Your Favourite Super Heroes' can be perfectly imagined as background music in the chilled out bar on a lazy summers night. It is a wonderful album with so much going on in the background that it sounds brand new each time you listen.
One Week To Live
By Matt Oliver
On the basis of his eclectic singles and EPs, you’re not sure which Jonathan Krisp is going to turn up on his dippily-titled debut album. The outcome sounds like the playboy who’s decided he’s tired of running around and wants to settle down. Mixing up musicianship with hawk-eyed sampling and big/small screen scope, Krisp hasn’t completely deserted past kookiness (or rather, the kookiness hasn’t deserted him), as the title track plays the cute but dizzy blonde. Inspired both in sound and name by Mr Scruff, Trevor Whateva, and Ninja Tune-style sample-silliness, it features an English version of Little Vicki from The Simpsons to prove the fun still bubbles under. Against-the-clock funk with cool drive time guitars on ‘Room Full of Spies’ is Krisp reaching a gritty, heart-racing best while playing the ultra-cool sleuth. But on tracks like ‘Pomfrites’, he matures and mellows with fine dusky nightcaps driven by psychedelica, sentiment and space, while electronica threatens to lose its head around it. The atmosphere is wistful, yet with a marked defiance where everything isn’t quite as cosy as it might seem (‘Casio’, ‘Go Not Happy Day’). Romantic cockle-warming gestures on ‘Paris in Winter’ has Krisp orchestrating with a twinkle in his eye. But the piano recitals ‘Steer The Woods’ and the suspended in space ’43 Crash’ develop a nocturnal, more isolated and vulnerable side to Krisp that he’s previously kept well-hidden. Brooding yet sprinkled with magic dust, ‘Blaupunkt’ calms, without being completely silky. ‘All Your Favourite Super Heroes’ reeks of finely-tailored suaveness. And the two-halved Lost Idol collaboration ‘Skylarks’ shows that lounge music doesn’t have to sit still and just watch the world go by. Whatever he’s tackling, Krisp has always stood for style, of which ‘No Horse…’ has by the bucketload. 5/7
Comments
"Genuinely superb from start to finish – great production, completely original sound and hasn't left my stereo since you gave it to me...." Flevans (Jack To Phono)"Aceness! Lovely trippy beats and splendid skills on the electronic side of live music!" Jon Kennedy
"A tasty broth of beats, lush samples, quirky arrangements awkward b-lines!" Alan Gubby (Nanny Tango)
The Brighton Source
Patrick Wolf’s immensely less annoying keyboard whiz (golly, did you see that awesome YouTube footage of La Wolf punching out his drummer live onstage!?) has a solo thing of his own, constructing pleasingly off-kilter studio psychedelics and, incidentally, coming up with the album title of the year so far. There’s enough groovily nuts homemade beat’n’loop going on here to keep one listening – or perhaps even dancing – to No Horse, although it’s way into the wibbly world of addled psychic instrumentals. Enjoyable, rather than brilliant. And quite funny as well, which makes it better.
Radio
Freefall (David Bassin, US)Liquid Sound Lounge (Jeannie Hopper, US)
Totally Radio (UK)
Flomotion (Nick Luscombe, UK)
Blue Room – Radio 1 (Chris Coco, UK)
