treva whateva - music's made of memories
new release from the latest ninjatune gang member sounds like a massive melting pot of influences from the whole dance scene 95 onwards. everything is ripped into throughout the albums 55 minutes, big band jazz samples, rock guitars, smoochy ambience, and dubbed up d-n-b is but a tip of the carboot sale sounds on offer. tis only when you dig around as to just who this treva is that it all makes sense, especially as on initial listens, the ghost of bra looms large. now, i reckon bentley rhythm ace made some cracking sampledelica tunes and one superb mixtape. oh yes, that bra. which other bra did you think i meant? the connection spreads to the rest of the brighton crew as the choice samples and funky loops are there to entertain and raise a smile, as well as move the spine.
then you find out that treva has, in fact, done time with both skint and grand central, he has paid his dues, and, having been around the block a few times, has at last got his debut album out. a little late for some maybe, but possibly just in time for that much rumoured big beat revival.
there is much to love throughout the 14 sample heavy beat monsters, from the excellent cut-n-paste intro (called 'welcome' funnily enough), to the art of noise vocal sample manipulation of 'singalong', complete with melody rich fat boy slim styled piano loop, via an old school reggae drum and bass clash of 'dedicated vip' (my own highlight), to the full on baggy rock groove of 'dustbowl'. admittedly, not all of it works, it was a while before i ventured into the final stages of the album, as the jazzy excess of 'carpe diem' followed by the the muzak heavy synths of 'musics made of memories' meant i nearly wrote this off as an ok half album. however, extra spins made these dips a slight hiccup as 'dustbowel' definitely brings the focus back into line. the looped rock guitar lick may be late 90's, but when the wah wah is let loose to this extent who cares.
it's a monster floor filler : fact.
the finale of the twitchy bass-ic electro synths of 'we have technology' and the adrenalin rush of alfred hitchcock-esqe cinematic loops during 'dangerous disco (the directors cut)' bring the final curtain down in splendid fashion.
while the album may not be very original, or cool, there is still plenty here to enjoy for those who remember that dance music can be about the fun as well as the funk.