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V.A.: Sounds of Rhythm & Culture

  Tobias Fischer

Washington DC-based electronica duo Thievery Corporation are the minds behind this compilation of varying degrees of chill, all of it advanced and terrific.

It’s advertised as the sound of DC, but even though that’s a utopian wet dream, it’s a worthy one. I can’t imagine any city awash in the dreamy, laid-back Middle Eastern-inflected dubstep contributed by the mononymed Zeb – maybe Johannesburg on the last day of summer – but how nice would that be, and between waves of Zeb’s stuff are plenty of vibes that owe everything to Massive Attack and Zero 7, that sort, and not in some sad wannabe way but a real-deal way, with lots going on in the mix, none of it unpleasant. Matter of fact I’ll go so far as to say it goes down better than Massive Attack’s last album, not that that should really be much of a shock to anyone.

The obvious quibble is that the contributors, such as world-class New York-bred experimentalist Nickodemus, aren’t DC locals, so as long as you’re not fancying yourself doing DC a local-fanboy solid you can bask with clear conscience in all the greatness here.

By Eric Saeger

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