Jay Haze is set to release his new album Love=Evolution on his own Contexterrior label. It has become a very remarkable one, and not only because it is his final full length piece...
It's hard to believe that this album marks the end of Jay Haze as an artist and as label head of his own Contexterrior and Tuningspork imprints. For many years, the producer has been among the most notable acts in electronic music with a discography packed with unconvential but incredibly exciting music, both under his own name or the Fuckpony and Sub Version monikers. We're always sad to see such artist go, but we haven't heard the last of him: “After spending years contemplating what love is, I have realized that the only way to evolve is through love." The next step in his career: to pursue the noble cause that has become his second life: realizing and supporting humanitarian projects.
Back to the album. Love=Evolution draws from many different cultures Jay has come to experience over the years, yet the man's unmistakable, somewhat abstract touch is ever present. Across a total of 11 genre-crossing tracks, Jay carefully merges a myriad of elements ranging from exotic latin-esque vibes to basement house and from jazzy grooves to very melodic and sparkling touches of electronica. As always, the result is hard to put into words but you can trust our ass when we say it’s breathtaking.
The albums opens elegantly with the deep Love Elevation, in which the sentence “the only way to evolve is love” is repeated continuously as if it were a mantra. Soul In A Bottle, ft. Big Bully, is soulful indeed, yet in the form of an irresistibly catchy house groove with a majestic synth melody all the way through. And we’ve only just begun. On The Darkest Disco, Jay teams up with the ever surprising Ricardo Villalobos on a very beefy and slightly psychedelic mix of synth-driven house and proggy elements, while I Need A Lover (feat. Chela Simone) gets even deeper with a dreamy collage of disco-styled bits and Balearic beats. One of the most remarkable tracks is the incredible The Light, with Paul St. Hilaire, a twisted Booka Shade-ey tracks with roots reggae vocals and loads of breaks. It is illustrative of the sound we’ve come to expect from Jay over the past years, and again, it blows us away.
Our verdict We’re sad to see the man go, but we couldn’t have wished for a better goodbye. Love=Explosion has not only become another tour de force by one of the most inspirational producers of our time, it also sets the stakes unfairly high for any other artist who was planning to release an artist album anytime this year. Each of the 11 tracks plays its part on this well orchestrated flow of electronics, with the result being an adventurous, at times enigmatic, but highly intriguing album .
Standout tracks: Soul In A Bottle, I Need A Lover, The Light... do we really need to choose? Weak tracks: None.
Rating: 9.0/10 Label:Contexterrior Release date: February 2011
Tracklist: 1. Love Evolution 2. Tonight (feat. Laila Tov) 3. Soul In A Bottle (feat. Big Bully) 4. I Wait For You (feat. Laila Tov) 5. The Darkest Disco (feat. Ricardo Villalobos) 6. You Drive Me Mad (feat. Sao Paolo Drum Circle) 7. Feel The Electricity (feat. Rockey) 8. I Need A Lover (feat. Chela Simone) 9. I'm Riding High 10.The Light (feat. Paul St. Hilaire) 11.Time To Explode
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