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I never really knew there was such a thing as downtempo
drum and bass, but then again, music has crossed
so many boundaries over the last 10 years it's hard
to keep up with all the new revolutions. Our saving
grace is when artists like Appogee cross our desks,
avoiding the kitchen sink approach we've heard,
and instead, are embarking on new lands while introducing
us to the kaleidoscope of sonic images that take
place in their minds.
Unconscious Ruckus, both in title and in result
is both introspective and adventurous, flying
fast and furious then bursting into total floatation.
Fresh and illuminating vocals highlight abstract
measures and flecks of golden textures, bouncing,
slithering, and chunking around at any given time.
This makes the experience something much more
than background music to your yoga therapy, as
in the case of "Creeper," which shoots
both bullets and butterflies as you go from one
bridge to another, or the pop infused brightness
of "I'm Yours."
Using thoughts and insights into life, the kind
of conversation you might overhear at a café,
seems to subconsciously link to what our own Drop
The Fear have done hundreds of miles from Appogee's
Southern Cal home. It spots a welcome trend in
music that spotlights our society's need for something
more than reality shows, low-carb Pepsi, or text
messaging.
From "Y illuminative," which beckons
us to live in the now, "Happiness is being
in the moment …Acceptance that this is not
a rehearsal/This is your life…This is it!"
to the matter-of-fact nature of "Coral"
that speaks, "And I think, as you get older/You
get to a point where you realize that you have
to figure it out for yourself/You can't just always
listen to what people have to say or how they
think it should be/You have to live it to really
understand it/And that is why we are here,"
Appogge has hit the mark both with his musician
ingenuity and simple yet poignant messages, getting
us to think and groove in unison.
www.appogeemusic.com
-Kim Owens, November 5, 2004
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