Greg Fenton reviews Machen – Totality Of Love – RPMA Recordings
Feeling fast and furious, Totality Of Love launches this brand-new label with an urgency reminiscent of a high-speed ride through the city at night. As colours blaze with vivid imagination, fuelled by a riot of high times drawing on a remarkably diverse range of influences, Mark Kyriacou & Rachel Thomas’s co-creation sees the title track reverberate with shimmering sounds, sucking up history while talking up an insightful future. Shimmering arpeggios, fiery percussion from Stuart Hardcastle and punctuating keys by Toby Baker all accompany the deft, cool array of jazzy harmonies to perfection, a journey into an excess of living.
Quintessence then expands on the predominance of those jazz-funk aspects, readily embedded within the tones of a free-flowing, breezy escape into musical prowess. Amber Lounge’s tasteful Cosmic Dub then takes on a relaxed tempo, sprinkled with a cool electric piano refrain over its thoughtful, atmospheric score. Departing with a punchier Crooked Man interpretation of Totality Of Love, via stinging electronic snares while retaining that smoothly sublime vocal arrangement and impulsive, exhilarating bassline, displacing the smoother elements care off this excellent reworking.
Release: February 27
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