Burnt Friedman

Those heady millennial days seem so long ago. I hadn't really thought of electroclash as being the beginning of the end of the popularity of complex electronic music, especially since it seemed like more hype at the time. But 2000's Con Ritmo is a prime example of what the more direct sound of Larry Tee and his cohorts swept away. Burnt Friedman constructed and deconstructed beats like few others, always with tongue firmly in cheek. The Latin vibe explored by Friedman's duo project Flanger is on full display in these songs, which are even more spaced out than the digi-descargas of his sometimes partner Uwe Schmidt (aka Senor Coconut). Mostly though, this is julienned jazz, with lots of ride cymbals and luxurious reverb turned inside out to create a percolating, deeply swinging set. Joseph Suchy's inventive guitar work comes through even more on the bonus tracks. However, your enjoyment of this disc will be directly proportionate to your tolerance for eight-minute moog solos. Friedman's latest efforts seem positively staid by comparison to this playful epic.