REVIEW: Goldie, Saturnzreturn (FFRR)
- Tim Hulsizer
With Goldie's 1995 debut Timeless having sold only in the tens of thousands in the U.S., it hardly seems accurate to say that this is his "long-awaited" followup. However, somehow this IS an event, and the music only tells half the story. Goldie himself has become something of a celebrity; dating models, DJing high-profile clubs, and sounding off on a variety of subjects. He is larger than life, with a rock solid physique and gem-encrusted gold teeth. It's no secret that he had a troubled childhood before breaking into graffiti art and music, and he deals with a lot of these issues on his new double-disc release.
Disc one, entitled "Mother", is dominated by the 60-minute(!) title track, a sprawling orchestral piece that deals with his feelings about mom from pre-birth to present day. Goldie went into the studio and laid down hundreds of channels of sound, worked with dozens of musicians, and let his imagination run wild to produce this track. An hour is a long time to listen to almost anything, but by the time he unloads a beat around the 25-minute mark, it all falls into place. It's certainly an impressive accomplishment, even though I might not listen to it again in its entirety very soon.
The other tune on the first disc is "Truth", a 15-minute song with outlandish David Bowie vocals. I found it pretty enjoyable, though I've always been a fan of Bowie anyway. The "Mother" disc is Goldie's latest sound laboratory, and he makes full use of the opportunity. He assembled several technicians, told them what he wanted, and ended up with a surprisingly solid result. Some people have criticized Goldie for being less of a "knob-twiddler" himself and more of an overseer in the studio. But as he put it recently, the blueprint is always there in his head, and the truth is that he puts forth tunes that the technicians themselves would never have thought to create. As far as I'm concerned, his music is certainly as valid as (and often better than) anyone else's stuff in the electronic arena.
If the first disc is Goldie's lab, then the second one, "Saturn", is his playground. He really cuts loose here and unleashes some of his hardest-hitting tunes to date. One of his best traits is his willingness to experiment with songs, and that is quite evident right out of the box. The first song "Temper Temper" is an inferno, with Noel Gallagher of Oasis grinding out guitar noise while Goldie snarls lyrics of fury. The second track is even better, a landmark song called "Digital" that features rapper KRS-One on vocals. Unbelievably cool, this track will hopefully convince more than one high-profile rap act to experiment with drum'n'bass beats. It's a perfect fit, and KRS-One has no trouble keeping up with Goldie's instrumentals.
On some parts of the album Goldie gets a little more personal, and as with "Mother" these can be a little hard to take at times. He likes use a soulful sound sometimes, with muted horns and vocals by Diane Charlamagne. This pops up on cuts like "Believe" (which is nice and funky) and the beat-less track "Letter of Fate", in which Goldie reads and old suicide note. These are actually pretty good tracks which serve to break up the album and give it some variety. However, I can see where people could be put off by them.
Still, there are more than enough reasons to keep listening. Songs like "Dragonfly" and "Crystal Clear" mix up the soul sounds with excellent grooves, drawing the listener in before they know what's hit them. Not only that, but when Goldie cuts loose for the dancefloors, no one else alive can keep up. "Chico-Death of a Rockstar" mixes distorted guitar samples with a No U-Turn-style beat to spin something crazy that still retains a very Metalheadz sound.
"I'll Be There For You" almost has an older sound, reminding me of mid-90's instrumentals. It employs a "magic shuffle" and wind chimes, and it's almost ethereal at times. "Fury-The Origin" and "Demonz" are pure, punishing house rockers that should please just about any drum'n'bass fan. I'll spare you all of the latest bullshit terminology ("tech-step", "dark-step", etc.). Suffice to say, these tracks deliver the goods.
The bottom line on Goldie's latest release? There's only good things to say about Saturnzreturn. Admittedly, his longer, "artsy" tracks are less accessible than his dance tracks, but I think that's a good thing. How many other artists in the drum'n'bass genre would include tracks like these? What other artist would create and release a cut like "Mother"? Few or none, most likely. Goldie is more than just hype. He is an artist that does not compromise, and an individual in a world of cookie-cutter junglists. Highly recommended.
