Caroline ‘K-Ro’ Marks, Oliver ‘Oz’ Zébo, Clément ‘Clem’ Trillot, and Cristophe ‘Cris’ Davidas have produced an album that joins the dots between MC Solaar and Madlib (to name just two).

‘Vibe Change’ is one of those tracks you can happily put on repeat and never get tired of and ‘Feel Good’ is a dreamy downtempo synthy beats tune that just makes you, feel good!

Don’t be put off by some of the titles being in French. It’s not at all like a language course as K-Ro is word perfect in English. And talking of perfect and paradise, Ms. Deborah Jordan (fresh from her appearance on Shape Of Broad Minds’ Craft Of The Lost Art) teams up on a track called ‘In My Mind’. The cerebral meeting on this one is sublime and for the Latin touch, Patricia Marx on ‘Hey’ (no doubt Deborah and Patricia swapped details last year when they both appeared at the Jazz Café (28th July — Silhouette Brown, Patricia Marx, Bruno E Sexteto).

Not as funky as our other French favourites, La Cédille but their jazz is of the cosmic traveller variety; see ‘Cosmos’ featuring another exciting FM artist, Replife and ‘Zen’.

‘Love Ina Babylon’ and ‘…from Africa’ are your underground beats favourites (take a bow Clem), if you’re after modern soul, ‘Libère-toi’ Is parfait (as they say over there) and somewhere between the two is ‘La Tete Dans Les Nuages’ (with a touch of Daedelus/Flying Lotus).

However, perhaps the best of the lot and the most eclectic is ‘Who Am I?’ A title that for Electric Conversation could be a signature tune of sorts as it’s a mix of French and English, hop-hop beats, folksy violin, indo-jazz psychedelia. Not at all the mess of my description but a style of introspection that they continue with on ‘Alice’ (Coltrane I believe, RIP). Also respect to Dilla on ‘Check Le Mic’ that features DJ Lyrik with K-Ro.

Futuristic Music have found their own Now-Again as this album joins the hot list of The Heliocentrics’ Out There, Shape Of Broad Minds, Build An Ark’s Dawn and Examples Of Twelves’ They Way Things Are, Nostalgia 77 Octet and Flying Lotus.

There’s so much in these 25 tracks, it’s easy to get lost in admiration. Totally understand why Blues & Soul as hailed them as “Future soul of the highest quality” and there’s talk of a limited edition 12” EP coming via Japan soon for all vinyl junkies.

Hectic Mix nominations: ‘Paradise’, ‘In My Mind’, ‘Vibe Change’, ‘Hey’, ‘Love Ina Babylon’, ‘Libère-toi’, ‘… From Africa’, La Tete Dans Les Nuages’

Reviewed: Electric Conversation — Communication (Futurisca Music) Cat. No. FMCD004 Release date: October 2007
1. “Daydream”
2. “Communication”
3. “Vibe Change”
4. “Find Myself”
5. “Melodie”
6. “Gare De Lyon”
7. “Golden”
8. “Le Tete Dans Les Nuages”
9. “Check Le Mic (RIP Jay Dee)” (feat DJ Lyrik)
10. “Juste 1 Trip”
11. “Hey” (feat Patricia Marx)
12. “Juste I’Espace D’1 Minute”
13. “Feel Good”
14. “Cosmos” (feat Replife)
15. “Zen”
16. “In My Mind” (feat Deborah Jordan)
17. “Paradise”
18. “Love Ina Babylone”
19. “Travel”
20. “Libre-Toi”
21. “Retour A I’Innocence”
22. “From Africa”
23. “Who Am I?”
24. “Alice”
25. “Outro”

Links:
www.myspace.com/futuristicamusic
All Futuristica Music releases are available to download EVERYWHERE!! You can find vinyls & CDs at all the usual spots worldwide.
www.myspace.com/electricconversation
www.myspace.com/danielgraykontarisreplife Coming soon: REPLIFE The Unclosed Mind. The debut album from MC Replife produced by Dego & Kaidi Tatham, Atjazz, RLP, Kinetic, Arch-typ & Mark De Clive-Lowe.
www.samurai.fm/futuristica
www.myspace.com/djsimons
www.myspace.com/kaleido
www.myspace.com/acatcalledfritz (DJ Lyric)
www.myspace.com/patriciamarxx
www.myspace.com/deborahjordanmusic
www.myspace.com/shapeofbroadminds
www.last.fm/user/GerryHectic