Waiwan — Distraction
Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 1:45PM 
A gem from 1998, which was not a vintage year for downtempo. The Bristol sound was mostly spent, despite a valedictory coda in Massive Attack’s Mezzanine. Ninja Tune was changing direction to take in the likes of Chocolate Weasel’s kitsch-funk. And the trip-hop template was fast becoming coffee-table music turned out by insipid second-raters like Thievery Corporation and Morcheeba.
But this is a cracking album from Waiwan, in part because it outlines the state of the art thus far. The thunderous timpani that open “The Deep” flag the genre’s cinematic influences. What follows — the well-tempered vocal snatches, washy electric piano and clipped wah-wah — inaugurate an album of uncrowded dubby trip-hop, which wears its influences on its sleeve. “Ain’t Easy” consciously apes Massive Attack’s “Better Things”, with it’s almost identical bass figure and reverb-swallowed drums. “Yesterday”, with a clipped snyth anticipating the backbeat, echoes the somnolent mood of Coldcut’s “Eine Kleine Hed Musick”. The album’s closer, “Revenge”, finishes out the cinematic feel, setting angular string progressions against ominous bells, metallic clangs and distant sirens.
There’s a sunny feel to it, too, with occasional clipped sax riffs recalling Pete Rock’s early-90s horn riffs. Brittle, jangled piano figures on “The Deep” and “Ain’t Easy” suggest the dusky vibe of the Isley’s “Summer Breeze” or Kool & The Gang’s “Summer Madness” (a reference more explicit in the rising snyth sounds of “Filtered Funk”).
The jazzy stretch in the middle of the album may be a little too smooth, though “Goddess” is hailed as an early classic of the Nu-Jazz scene. But “Nightmare”, its booming double bass figure amid drum & bass-influenced breakbeats, treads a path being taken at the same time by Red Snapper (and later tarmaced with bus lanes and parking bays by The Cinematic Orchestra).
Waiwan was apparently part of the Common Ground project that released one album on Ultimate Dilemma. A new Waiwan album is apparently imminent from Earth Project, though the audio clips suggest that his jazz-funk-fusion roots may have got the better of him. I suppose that means his old site at Autonomy isn’t going to get updated (so much for the five-album deal, huh?), but you can still catch plenty of audio clips there.
Reader Comments (1)
Business owners and entrepreneurs who are determined to get the most profits realize that Chinese suppliers can give them an edge over their competitors. It is true that products are unbelievably cheap china wholesale, yet they are of good quality. The online China Wholesale Electronics business is price-driven, so you have to be able to get your merchandise as cheaply as possible. This will allow you to sell your products at a low price, yet still be able to make a good profit.
Great piece of design man !
www.superpopular.net wholesale directory can provide you with reliable Wholesale Watches suppliers.
The reason why products from China are so cheap is because of the low labor cost there. In fact, that is why so many companies like Mattel, Nike, Apple, Adidas and many more have put up their factories there. The Chinese now have the technology and skill to manufacture different kinds of apparel, shoes, and other wholesale electronics consumer products at very low prices. Getting your products directly from China is the surest way to get cheap goods to sell.
China is one of the most popular country to import electronics goods. China has reached his business to the top. China electronics are cheap and as well as affordable and are of good quality also.Electronics items from China such as mechanical pocket watch, Cheap Wholesale Jewelry, discount designer bags, Wholesale Electronics DropShip, wholesale mechanical watch, wholesale 925 Silver Jewelry and Hello Kitty Crystal Necklace media players are some of the hottest items and in very affordable prices. China Wholesale Electronics provide us a variety of products.It is a good site for reviewing the electronic products which are costly in our country.