Tipper – Broken Soul Jamboree

Dave Tipper has just released downtempo gem Broken Soul Jamboree. The veteran producer has been working on this album for more than four years, meticulously crafting and layering sounds to create his most mature and thought-out composition yet. Stream a mix of the tracks while you read the review by Dizzurt & Drift Dodgers:

Broken Soul Jamboree – Album Revue by tippermusic

The journey begins with majestic harps in the first track “Big Question, small head”, bringing in conga beats and peripheral effects that buzz in and out of perception, adding elements patiently. The atmosphere then gets spacey and abstract, setting the mood for what is to come. Captivating, mellow buildups to irresistible beats in these early tracks make for engaging ambient trips. One of our favorites, “Dead Soon”, kicks off the second act of the album, parts of which could be used in dancefloor sets. Songs like “Tit For Tat” mix timeless melodies with futuristic sounds and ancient percussion, all processed with effects that make them burble and splash against your eardrums. “Reality Harshness Defender” begins the highly emotional come-down… perfect for laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, contemplating the night’s exploits.

It can play in the background while hanging out with people to provide an ethereal atmosphere, but also works when one is in a quiet, contemplative mood, allowing the mind to pick out all of the different layers and subtleties as it is taken on an inspiring ride. However you listen, make sure its on a good set of speakers or headphones so that none of the tones or levels are lost. The album was made with the intention of utilizing the full range of auditory frequencies, and we suspect it contains elements one cannot hear that activate subliminal parts of the brain.

Swarms of richly textured electronic sounds encapsulate the lovely arrangements, turning simple themes into vibrant collages with a life their own. Reading these descriptions it might sound like an organic ambient album, which it is in many ways. However, the diverse samples, shattering beats, and surrounding bleeps and lasers make it cut and thump with the best of them, and won’t disappoint fans of his harder dance material.

This music does wonders for the head… a good dose will snap you out of a funk. It takes you on a mystical voyage and gets as involved as your mind will allow. Patience is usually required to enjoy and understand most chillout albums, but with BSJ you don’t need your ADD meds to get through the “ambiance”. The songs take their time building into the main verse or beat, but getting there is half the fun, filled with memorable morphs and twists.

 

Track Descriptions & Thoughts While Listening

#2 – “Cuckoo” = Slow paced and quiet at first, it bobs like a tripped-out hip-hop beat for a rapper with a message. A lilting, circular melody grows into a monstrous climax full of thumping bass and carburetor growls, then trails off, a hollow echo in outer space.

#3 – “Class 5 Roaming Vapor” = Floating like an astronaut for a few minutes, we are warped  into another galaxy, greased gears clicking, creatures calling for mates through space, taking over our minds. Bells become hypnotic anti-gravity alarms. The bassline is stretched and extended, the critters do the talking.

#4 – “Brocken Spectre” = Cosmic spirals full of water droplets and strange syncopations.. Tribal toms sputter, the floor creaks, we are startled by a creepy sitar. Oddly placed percussion adds to the dissonance as a chord progression of piano and strings builds drama. Subtly, it crescendos into gong waves and tablas. Noise and percussion crunch into a monster stomp, giving way to frantic suspense. An action movie synthline creeps in from the back – for the last 30 seconds you are running around a space station firing laser guns.

#5 – “Dead Soon” = Deep in a jungle, surrounded by chirping birds and animals, we are lulled into a trance. Encouraged by the beauty and harmony of our surroundings, we investigate like children. With an evil laugh, the beat drops and chimes twist like vines around the trees. Everything starts to bloom and grow, cells dividing rapidly into new mutations, unfolding in the infinite order of nature, like clockwork. With another dark chuckle, its suddenly over, though we long to remain in the dream.

#7 – “Herriot Method” = Pulsing fog horns blare through the mist, topped with a rising scale like liquids dripping into quickly filling test tubes. Thoughtful strings pose a question that hangs in the air. A bag of broken glass shakes to keep the beat as we slosh around tidepools, otherworldly voices and orchestras rocking us back and forth, pulling at each other, writhing into release.

#8 – “Neuron Huskie” = Glistening keys chase each other in geometic patterns, coalescing into wild vocal effusions trying to tell us something in an inhuman language. Gentle synths return to guide us into the void, comforting us like a lullaby after the bizarre odyssey.

Check out our recent Interview with Tipper discussing the making of the album..

Download his Mixes here

And peep some Videos here

tippermusic.net/bsj/


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