Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

So if you’re like him and puts up the proverbial two fingers to the idea of genre, you are going to love both CD’s here; the ‘Love’ vocal version an d the ‘Beyond’ instrumental version. But here’s a twist, Mr. Haze is so prolific he doesn’t just do instrumental versions of the vocals. That would suit his style, these are totally different instrument tracks in there own right.

It seems odd, but I orginally liked the instrumental album better than the vocal. Then you get into the vocal CD. And then you get back into the instrumentals. Certainly, you get VFM here as he redefines the album concept.

With fingers in techno-house-electro (with Fuckpony via Get Physical and BPitch Control) and dubstep (with SubVersion on Soul Jazz) and a DJ residency pie at Fabric, the temptation must have been to throw the kitchen sink at Love & Beyond. But I pleased to report that this is very sophisticated kitchen sink On the instrumental CD, there’s a glorious mix of dub, French cafe, cinematic soundscapes, computer games, electro, world and hip hop flavours (you might get them all in jsut one track!). Not only that, he’s not afraid to feature live instrumentals like electric guitars, piano or harmonica. Like I say, I’ve listened to this thinking it’s a complete album on it’s own. Particularly like ‘Reunion’ for its dark ambience, ‘Friday Funk You’ for it’s upbeat dubby funky mix and the dubbed out phaedra of ‘Never Fails’. In fact, even the oddness of the ‘Cheese Flamingo’ flamenco gets to you in a good mood after a while.

This album is coming in the area of the strangley connected, but totally different relms of Tal M. Klien’s Plastic Starfish and Red’s Fingerprints. Haze is the true master of the “quirky, yet grooving dancefloor material that is avant-garde and tongue-in-cheek at the same time”.

On the vocal CD, Jay mixes up his Prince and Sa-Ra Creative Partners style soup and it’s sexy hot. Especially on ‘Don’t Tease Me’ and ‘Floating Away’. The feel here reminds me of ‘Honeymoon’s Over’ but without that killer dancefloor track, ‘Direct Hit’ comes closest while ‘Cocktail’ has an annoying Missy Elliott sounding gimmick (that’s the only gripe on 26 tracks!). For the beat heads, ‘New Freedom’ and ‘Madhouse’ come at you from the leftfield.

It’s only taken 3 years to get Love & Beyond but doesn’t this man know when to stop but rumour has it, there’s a companion double LP vinyl set with yet more completely different tracks. Personally, I’m glad he doesn’t stop as this is superb for us types that love the unconventional.

Reviewed: Jay Haze — Love & Beyond (Tuning Spork Records) Cat. No: TS 32 — 2 x CD, Album Release date: 28 April 2008
Tracklisting:
1-01 Intro (3:18)
1-02 So Far Away (3:05)
1-03 Don’t Tease Me (3:22)
1-04 Floating Away (3:38)
1-05 Direct Hit (4:05)
1-06 90 Deep (3:17)
1-07 Prince Of Spades (3:46)
1-08 One Day At A Time (3:46)
1-09 Cocktail (3:36)
1-10 On The Slide (3:20)
1-11 New Freedom (4:20)
1-12 Never Gonna Stop (3:14)
1-13 Madhouse (3:31)
2-01 Some Kind Of Other Love (3:12)
2-02 Bring Your Love (3:21)
2-03 Jump That (3:28)
2-04 Rocket For Sale (3:36)
2-05 Like A Flame (2:40)
2-06 Reunion (3:28)
2-07 Steady Smooth (3:32)
2-08 Friday Funk You (3:36)
2-09 Keep It Real (2:40)
2-10 Cheese Flamingo (3:41)
2-11 Frozen (3:30)
2-12 Awakening (4:00)
2-13 Your Girl Is Mine (3:14)
2-14 Never Fail Dub (5:06)
2-15 Sneakin (3:43)

Links:
www.tuningspork.com