Cobblestone Jazz
23 Seconds

At the base of the project.
The foundation is represented by the electronic musician, producer, and founder of the Wagon Repair label, Mathew Jonson. 
In life, everyone gets what they deserve, there are those who drive the bus and suffer from a herniated disc, those who paint yachts and die of lung cancer, and those who DJ and find inspiration in the so-called backside of the ladies dancing in front of them: "The consequences of the trade," our protagonist says in an interview... I overlook the comments and curses to say that the Canadian composer is considered, by much of the critics and ears that matter, the guru of a new type of techno.
A techno mixed with fusion and more sophisticated solutions, to which you need to add a pinch of general culture from Thelonius Monk to hip hop and voilà, you're done!
However, he is not alone in this project known as Cobblestone Jazz, Mathew is joined by Danuel Tate and Tyger Dhula: the former as a keyboardist/pianist with a jazz undertone and the creator of swing sounds in the techno rhythms; the latter is responsible for loops and samples in the Vancouver trio that with "23 Seconds" creates a great album, ladies and gentlemen, I repeat: a great album!

The spirit of improvisation and jazz blends with techno in a mix that, I have to confess, I initially struggled to grasp and accept. I'm neither a fan of techno nor a fan of jazz, but I bought this CD sight unseen, swayed by friends' opinions, scattered readings, and brief downloaded tracks, then the K7 label served as a guarantee of quality. The Berlin label specializing in cool electronics for fine tastes has given me great satisfaction in the past (Herbert and Dani Siciliano, Tosca, etc.), and now the inclusion of their Live at "Mondo" in Madrid in the same edition greatly enriches the package.
If we want to move from the foundations to the end, let's start with the analysis of this live CD that conveys the state of the band's harmonic genius on May 10, 2007, in the Spanish capital. The trio is in good shape, and you immediately perceive that their strength is the feeling with which they manage to interact among themselves, nothing is as it seems, that is, when the driving rhythms get people moving on the dance floor, there is no disdain for an educated interlude that relaxes, allows the beautiful sweaty girls to comb their hair, illuminated by the strobe lights of the dance floor, but also reveals the depth of the musicians before starting the frenetic dances again.

In the actual album, it is necessary to mention: "Lime In Da Coconut" - third track - which reaches almost ten minutes in duration, giving the sensation of witnessing a studio improvisation, where ornaments begin to be constructed on the rhythmic base, and harmonic creations are added, revealing the experimental talent of the trio. The title track, as the right reviewers say, has a series of interesting solutions and perhaps is the track that captivates me the most along with "Peace Offering". The album closes with a masterful "W", where Hammond organs intersperse the techno progressions and form a synergy that makes you want to press play again or hit repeat to not exit this splendid union between past and future.

On one hand, indeed, you can breathe the progressive and current essence of techno music, while on the other, there's always an affection and tribute to some past sounds. Sounds that become humble little intermissions or are content to be like a grandmother's earring in the earlobe of the beautiful granddaughter who goes dancing in the club; the granddaughter who listens to techno today is connected to the grandmother who relaxes with jazz, and with deep respect and pride, wears those earrings that make her once again the most beautiful on the dance floor, and not just for her backside...