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Lotus' newly released album, Vibes, stands as a creative mixture of jazz, house, jungle, and trance. With influences ranging from Wes Montgomery to The New Deal, Lotus strives to produce a fresh blend of improvisational music. The album's tracks are compilation of audio sessions recorded live during performances in the fall of 2001, and serve as a taste of the groups creative vision.
On the album, guitarists Luke Miller and Mike Rempel explore a wide array of musical textures from percussive technique to organ-like accompaniment. These are exemplified from the ambient sonic shower of "sunrain" to the bubbling vibe of "in the bliss". The two combine this tonal palette to form a sound that allows both voices to share the stage without one overshadowing the other. In contrast with these ethereal sounds, there are also more melodic sections as in the opening track, "l'immeuble", or the funk-groove bass line dropped by Jesse Miller in "far from empty".
The ensemble would not be complete without the ever-evolving percussive backdrop set by Steven Clemens and Chuck Morris. Their well-crafted rhythms set a wide stage for the rest of the band to explore. It is this mixture that allows Lotus to define a sound that is great to throw on as background music, while still maintaining a "get up and dance" groove that would surely keep the feet of show-goers busy.
Throughout the album, Lotus demonstrates an earnest drive to seek out new territory in live music. Mixing entrancing beats with traditional jazz-induced lines, has allowed the group to produce the hypnotic vibes you'll hear on this CD.
Julius
JamBase | Shadyside
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