One of the fun things about dance music in 2010 is that genre barriers seem increasingly obsolete-- the idea of limiting oneself to a particular style or country is almost laughable at this point. Jahcoozi, a collaboration between German producers Robot Koch and Oren Gerlitz and Sri Lankan vocalist Sasha Perera, take this global approach. In their tracks, dancehall riddims, glitch-hop, and experimental techno rub up against each other like long-lost pals.
Jahcoozi's first two records, Pure Breed Mongrel and the awesomely titled Blitz 'n' Ass, took an aggressive line to the dancefloor. Rapid-fire beats and grime mixed with Perera's in-your-face political emceeing for a visceral, gritty sound. It was danceable, but ultimately disruptive music. But with Barefoot Wanderer, their first release for Berlin's BPitch Control, Jahcoozi appear a good deal more subdued with a style that leans heavily on dub-- both the classic Jamaican variety and its modern-day digital equivalent, dubstep.
Mostly the shift works. There's a variety of song types and distinctive collaborators who bring tempo swings, but the prevailing mood is sort of a downtempo saunter, made even more spacious by Perera's milky vocals. (Massive Attack's Mezzanine is a good reference point in this sense.) Tracks like "Barefoot Dub" and "Lost in the Bass" set echo-chamber reverb alongside glitch-y techno, creating an interesting tension between traditional King Tubby-style dub and more progressive current electronic sounds. Most of these songs are good, but occasionally there's a dip in the dynamism of the production-- "Zoom in Fantasize" and "Barricaded" just sort of drift by without making much of an impact.
Dub and techno are the album's core elements, but there are plenty of other styles stirred in. Some of Barefoot Wanderer's best material comes when the group invites guest vocalists to mix it up with Perera. On "Powerdown Blackout", she trades raps with Anti-Pop Consortium's M. Sayyid over a futuristic, Neptunes-ian hip-hop track. Kenyan dancehall toasters Ukoo Flani guest on "Msoto Millions", and percussionist and singer Guillermo E. Brown duets with Perera on the skittering "Speckles Shine". The album's much better off for these collaborations. Without them, it could get lost in its own fog and become just an interesting weed soundtrack, but instead they add more international intrigue to Jahcoozi's already inclusive formula.
