The leadoff track to this duo's debut, "Music to Begin With," kicks off with an A-to-Z list of musical genres, from "blues" to "children's" to "Dixieland." The eight or so minutes of sonic tinkering that follow may not ran... more »ge as far and wide (I don't hear any Raffi samples, though maybe I'm just not listening hard enough), but it comes awfully close, boiling jazz, dub, electro, and drill and bass down to a tart, granular sediment. Sifting through this musical miso are Chile's Atom Heart, veteran of 140 recording sessions, and Germany's Burnt Friedman, who produces spare digi-dub under the name Nonplace Urban Field. On Templates, they trot out countless samples, live drums, Rhodes piano, and electric bass, but never stick them in your face. Most of the time, the music sounds as vaguely faraway as those nighttime wails that give The Blair Witch Project its uncanny aural texture. Which isn't to say this album will have you standing in the corner--it's too lively for that. Dancing in the corner, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. --Jeff Salamon« less
The leadoff track to this duo's debut, "Music to Begin With," kicks off with an A-to-Z list of musical genres, from "blues" to "children's" to "Dixieland." The eight or so minutes of sonic tinkering that follow may not range as far and wide (I don't hear any Raffi samples, though maybe I'm just not listening hard enough), but it comes awfully close, boiling jazz, dub, electro, and drill and bass down to a tart, granular sediment. Sifting through this musical miso are Chile's Atom Heart, veteran of 140 recording sessions, and Germany's Burnt Friedman, who produces spare digi-dub under the name Nonplace Urban Field. On Templates, they trot out countless samples, live drums, Rhodes piano, and electric bass, but never stick them in your face. Most of the time, the music sounds as vaguely faraway as those nighttime wails that give The Blair Witch Project its uncanny aural texture. Which isn't to say this album will have you standing in the corner--it's too lively for that. Dancing in the corner, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. --Jeff Salamon
CD Reviews
Technodelica Fans, perk Up!
Amygdala6 | washington, DC USA | 06/27/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rarely does jazz music so purely mesh with other genres. Sure, there's world beat jazz, D&B jazz, street jazz...it's all been tried before, with shrill attempts to take the sound to the next level.Templates has achieved such a position. It has fused that lounge-lizard feel while throwing blistering samples and found noises into the mix. These guys make mincemeat out of rhythmic grooves, transcending urban beat with the flash and panasche of old school balad artistry.If Miles were alive today, he would nod his head and smile, happy that artists like Amon Tobin, Kosma, and now Flanger have finally found the recipe for the next step in New jazz.Let's hope that these musical prodigies continue with the great direction that they have respectively chosen to take in experimental music."
A fascinating hybrid of organic and electronic textures
Amygdala6 | 07/20/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Flanger find the middle ground between the classic-jazz textures of Amon Tobin and the twitchy, molecular electronic emissions of Oval and Pole. The rhythms aren't bracing; languid would be a better word. A solid, innovative record in a genre that is sounding increasingly homogenous."
Not your father's kind of jazz
bowery boy | seattle | 11/22/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you're new to flanger, I would suggest purchasing their second release, 'midnight sound' first. 'midnight sound' is a smooth and flawless fusion of hip cool jazz and subtle IDM beats similar to autechre. Tracks start out with laidback jazz grooves that seamlessly transition into frenetic clicks and beeps before sliding back to a jazz groove. Had I purchased 'templates' first I probably never would have bought any other flanger releases simply because it's a bit unfocused and meandering. 'midnight sound' was the perfect introduction to flanger which in turn allowed me to appreciate 'templates' more than I would.You can hear on 'templates' what flanger has perfectly honed on 'midnight sound', their fusion of IDM and jazz. However with 'templates' the electronic elements are at the forefront, overpowering the jazz grooves in a cacaphony of sound. The basic idea is here yet at times it misses the mark but in any case this is definitely good stuff, certianly not your father's kind of jazz . 'music to begin with' is great with it's spoken word intro announcing every type and genre of music followed by a split second sample of the mentioned music.It then fades into a bunch of clicks and beeps and warped bass that fuses into jazz. 'studio tan' and 'lata' are also stand out tracks . Over all this is a great CD but it lacks the cohesion of 'midnight sound'. I can't praise 'midnight sound' enough ( see my review). flanger is one of my new favorite artists I discovered on a whim. If Miles Davis was still alive this would be the logical progression of his jazz fusion experiments."
A successful blend of two distinct genres
G. Wachman | Minneapolis, MN United States | 06/05/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As an avid electronica fan (not familiar with jazz), I purchased "Templates" hoping to expand my tastes, even though I wasn't ecstatic about the samples I had heard. After a couple weeks, though, I began to see the genius in this album. Flanger uses electronica and jazz as if they were dabs of paint on a palette. Sometimes you're listening to electronica; sometimes you're listening to jazz; sometimes you have no idea. The transitions between the two are seamless. If you're not paying too much attention, one moment you'll be listening to jazz, and the next electronica, while not even taking notice of the change. This is definitely authentic, original music spawned by tons of talent and creativity."
Very...VERY nice!
epsy | Turner, ME United States | 11/08/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Atom Heart is probably the most underrated musician/producer i've ever had the pleasure of listening to. I will bet $10 that you can conform any jazz fan to this as long as they aren't a purist. Fans of electronic music might not be swayed so easily because of this album's intricacy. It's crazy to think that someone capable of this has also released tons of other albums ranging from laid back electronic trancy stuff (lassigue) to an album of latin/electro remakes of kraftwerk songs (senor coconut)Add another musical genius like Burnt Friedman and you have a truly original hybrid of jazz/electronic music on your hands. These guys even sample vinyl pops and use them as percussion and sample mike patton's "adult themes for voice" on the opening track. pure magic"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1