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In a week that we get to grips with the new Mr. Scruff album Ninja Tuna, this project has all the trademarks of a Ninja Tune influence; even the cover has a Solid Steel look about it. Throw in some Matthew Herbert Big Band appreciation and you’ve got thirteen instrumental tracks to suit any ‘jazz flavoured’ dancefloor.

But its no big surprise that jazz is to the fore here as Duewer’s other project is a live jazz band called Ensemble Du Verre (who released their album Sanctuary For Animals at the start of the year). Energie Du Verre is the outlet for the club-orientated material. The big track on the album is ‘Rockin’ Habanera’ that’s a firm favourite at Oliver Korthals’ Mojo Club and came out on Jazz & Milk’s Jazz Breaks compilation.

What makes this album stand out (something that Mr. Herbert would approve of) is that the musicians that worked on this album actually took 13 sessions to work out these tracks whilst Du Verre claims to be a jazz purist! Personally, I think he proves this with the title track which is another stand out piece.

The old skool ‘Jitterbug’ us a bit contrived but the second half of the album is full of little gems like the funky ‘Methode De Batterie’, the jazz’n’b ‘Tango Criminale’, the jazz-blue of ‘Blues Bottom’ and the rather odd (in a good way) ‘Boogie Nostalgia’.

Even if the next album has to plunder the same 100 years for its jazz inspiration, that’s no bad thing and an interesting venture to keep an eye on.

Reveiwed: Energie Du Verre - United Ancestors (Batterie Records) Batterie003 Release date: 10th October, 2008
Tracklisting :
01. The Golden Rag (3:44)
02. Jitterbug (4:20)
03. Orchestra Video (Energie du Verre Pelé Mix) (6:55)
04. United Ancestors (4:32)
05. Esther Willimas (2:40)
06. Rockin’ Habanera (5:49)
07. Tango Criminale (4:14)
08. French Jive (4:30)
09. Blues Bottom (5:05)
10. Méthode de Batterie (4:50)
11. Boogie Nostalgia (3:17)
12. No Homework (Never Again) (1:40)
13. The 20th Century (5:26)

Links :
energie-du-verre.com
myspace.com/energieduverre
batterie-records.com
Limited Edition vinyl available at Batterie’s own record store + Download
myspace.com/batterierecords
www.jazzandmilk.com