VMM NEWS – MASON Album They Are Among Us – Animal Language – FEB 2011
Released: 4th April – General Release Label: Animal Language
Feat. Roisin Murphy, Kurtis Blow, DMC, Sam Sparro, Aqualung & Sway
Sifting through the herds of identikit Beatport sheep in the download charts or hearing the empty drivel that many of the biggest names soullessly churn out, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all the real musicians and original ideas have deserted dance music. If you know about Dutch duo ‘Mason‘ however, you’ll know that there’s a small corner of old Amsterdam where the musicianship’s force is still strong. .
Sure, they have their origins in serving up hugely popular club smashes (you might remember a little record called ‘Exceeder’), but with their charisma-packed debut album ‘They Are Among Us’, the boys known as Iason and Coen to their parents have shown that they are anything but simple dancefloor mechanics. Across 13 colourful tracks they show a knack for strong pop melodies and vocals, tongue-in-cheek humour, uncontrived versatility and excellent taste in their co-conspirators. They deftly balance the dance floor focused output of their Animal Language label releases with their passion for powerful songwriting and crossover appeal. “The album is a reflection of our love for pop songs, Italo disco and funk, while keeping it fun and playful” they explain, with the cosmopolitan feel and musical heritage of Amsterdam embodied within their eclectic, life-affirming sounds.
These guys are dedicated to their craft, and were in no hurry to rush their first LP after their early successes. “We threw away the previous album in 2007 because we weren’t happy, and started all over” they reveal. The finished product was formed in a loose and organic manner, with a good 50 tracks created during its gestation period, and features their eclectic dream list of collaborators – from rap legends to new age divas and indie heroes. “We worked in every possible way. Long distance without meeting. Us sending backing tracks and others doing vocals. Us writing vocals. Us building backing tracks around complete vocals. Being in studios in numerous places to record artists and work together in the same space, such as with Roisin Murphy.”
The sassy chanteuse lends her inimitable, seductive tones to the sensual Italo-disco thump of Boadicea, one of her most captivating moments in recent history, while indie throwbacks Aqualung give a haunting edge to the effervescent beauty of ‘Little Angel’. Hip-hop stars new and old litter the album: pioneer Kurtis
Blow takes things back to the old skool with his stone-cold raps on the rousing ‘Runaway’, the legendary DMC (he of Run DMC fame) shows he’s still as sharp as ever, trading lines with soulful pop sensation Sam Sparro on ‘Corrected’, and London’s Sway shows that the UK brings the heat just as much as the US on the infectious pop-dance of ‘I Just Wanna Rock You’. As far as cast lists go, it’s a wonderfully unusual, eclectic and high-quality mix.
While Mason are deadly serious about their dedication to making music, ‘They Are Among Us’ exudes a refreshing sense of fun, youthfulness and energy. Po-faced music for the underground this is not. “Clubbing is about having fun” the duo underline. “A lot of acts just take it too seriously.” Inspired by the greats and lesser-known geniuses of the past and combining that heritage with both modern and vintage technology and the most talented vocalists around, they’ve created an album, which straddles the past, present and future in a glorious and vibrant technicolour.
1. Runaway 7. I Just Wanna Rock (featuring Sway)
2. You Are Not Alone 8. Boadicea (featuring Roisin Murphy)
3. Choices (featuring Kurtis Blow) 9. As The World Turns
4. Syncrom 10. Corrected (featuring DMC & Sam Sparro)
5. Little Angel (featuring Aqualung) 11. Little Red Petticoat
6. Kippschwinger 12. Who Killed Trance
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