8 more cali slow jams for the third release on the excellent Arcane label.
Fresh from hitting us with the club wrecking brilliance of THAT Diamond Jackson 12" and the first volume of Jamma-Dee's dope boogie sounds, New York's Arcane keep the fire burning with 'Volume 2'. For the uninitiated, Jamma Dee's a true LA homie with a penchant for tape saturated boogie, Jomox drum boxes and new jack swing, blowing smoke rings through the same hazy basements as Moon B and Tom Noble.
"HEY (Heavy Every Year)" kicks the set off in slanked out fashion, employing digital keys, synth flute lead and the occassional vocal sample over a weighty drum program dominated by a pitched down and reverb soaked snare. "Been So Long" wraps smooth vocals and g-funk keys in a new jack swing, holding it down for the BBQ crew, while "Jazzin' Down I-10", sees sultry sax, jazzy synth and lithe guitar topping a rubbery bass groove for the finest sunblushed moocher you'll hear outside the Gravy Pit. Speaking of sunshine and jazz, "I Feel Lucky" is practically audio Orangina, tickling your tastebuds with rattling conga, snapping claps, synth stings and wah guitar and driving you wild with a raucous soul vocal. Flip the disc and it's "Oohhhh Shiiiittt" as the bad mamma Jamma drops "Lessonz", an irresistible blast of sizzling street soul complete with Sade-esque chord progressions, pitched down vocals and plenty of sampledelic brilliance - tranquiliser funk at its finest. The good stuff keeps on coming with "Letz Talk (Abot' Love)", another smooth vocal stroller on a new jack tip, this time riding a buoyant bassline and scratch samples to the dancefloor. The tempo drops for the sensual groove of "Fly Away With Me", a masterful bit of MPC abuse featuring soulful vocals, jazz fusion keys and fragrant keys worthy of soundtracking every love scene from the golden age of Eddie Murphy. After keeping the focus on our feet throughout the set, Jamma-Dee closes on the dreamy sound of "Mission", a gorgeous collage of celestial keys, trumpet a la Miles, p-funk talkbox and a little bit of Genius GZA which returns us to the horizontal position.A1 H.E.Y. (Heavy Every Year) A2 Been So Long A3 Jazzin' Down I-10 A4 I Feel Lucky B1 Lessonz B2 Letz Talk (Abot' Love) B3 Fly Away With Me B4 Mission
