Prommer & Barck At Juno Download

Review: When Gilles Peterson gets excited about something, chances are it'll be rather good. That's certainly the case here, as German veterans Christian "Drumlesson" Prommer and Alex "Jazzanova" Barck join forces for a first collaborative full-length. Peterson has described Alex & The Grizzly as "intoxicating", and he's not wrong. As exquisitely produced, densely layered and musically accomplished as you'd expect, it's an album that effortlessly fuses smoky, soft-centred deep house with a myriad of complimentary influences; from African percussion jams, folksy ballads (Barck's vocals provide a neat focal point throughout) and simmering jazz to modern classical, Detroit techno, 80s blue-eyed soul, bubbly snyth disco, old skool piano house, dewy-eyed Balearica and even synth-pop. It'll take you a few listens to fully comprehend its breadth and depth, but it's well worth it - at times, it's nothing short of staggering.