Properly crafted electronica never ends - it can go on indefinitely. If the earth stopped spinning on its axis and morning never came, the party could continue forever. Many DJs seem like they wouldn’t even notice.
Played live it becomes an endless, boundless musical experience, but because it is so finite, in an album form, it can loose some of its punch. It’s natural habitat is a rave or dance party, so putting it on an album is like locking it in a zoo. But DJ Harry is an artist apart from the ranks of more mortal DJs, and some of the usual rules don’t apply. First of all his music is based on vibrant live music, mostly jam music, and that too can go on forever.
Those long-winded instrumentals would seem the ideal selections for remixing, but oddly enough, the more traditional the song, with words, melodies and verses, the better it works for Harry. I find it sort of counter intuitive, but there it is, perhaps giving the infinite a context that is finite, making it more accessible. This is especially apparent on “All my Life,” which has a strong melody and well developed lyrics, playing out like a song rather than a collection of sounds carefully placed together by a third party. That’s a fine accomplishment, but it’s far from the techno that fans of the genre know so well. The majority of the music here is straight ahead techno-jam, and while that may be an island unto itself, it stands well on its own. Songs like the title-track are filled with the thumping beats, breaks, tonal washes, and even still more beats, though he compresses those common elements within a tightly structured framework, somehow enabling the original heart of the song to poke through.
So much so that in a way, this is a String Cheese Incident album. There are lots of Cheesy sounds and riffs, with Kyle Hollingsworth, Billy Nershi and Michael Kang all kicking in. Kellar “K-Dub” Williams even sings on a track. And the one advantage to having these jam masters in place is that they know how to produce grooves with genuine feeling. It really warms up what might have been another barrage of sterile, cold beats. It’s a clever stylistic choice which gives DJ Harry a leg up over his competition.
Jam music married with techno - both forms have something to gain from the partnership. Techno gets warmer, gaining more feeling. Techno acts like Viagra for jam, making the music go all night. And both styles share a certain challenge when it comes to distilling their true talents on record. But even if the CD format is not exactly right to convey it, at least it will give you something to listen to on the way back from the show. Wow man, is it dawn already?
