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Choreomanic — Choreomanic
(Bandcamp no#, 2022, DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-08-27

Choreomanic Cover art

Choreomanic is a project of bassist Joost van der Graaf, and the self-titled debut album starts with a minute or so of ambient electronics and slow bass notes before jumping into a somewhat manic cross between Primus and a fusion band with a horn section. But no matter how prominent the horns are, the bass is dominant in the mix, providing an aggressive low end that mixes funky slapping with an edgy punk-metal tone. The tunes are built up from the bass, with all the melodies and rhythmic parts linking into the complex lines. Van der Graaf is joined in the rhythm section by drummer Koen Herfst, and the two mesh together tightly, approaching the funk as if it were some flavor of technical metal. The horn section features Jeroen Verberne (trombone), Tommie Freke (saxophone), and Gidon Nunez Vaz (trumpet), who provide precise ensemble parts, rarely being distinguished individually. There are no solos for any of the players in these concise tunes — only one of the twelve tops five minutes, and most are well under three. While this brevity does keep things moving along, with no tune risking an overstayed welcome, I sometimes wish for a bit of development where a groove is held onto while a horn player gets to stretch out. There’s also a keyboardist, Thijs Ronteltap, on board, but his contributions are mostly textural. Vocals also make sporadic appearances, with van der Graaf speaking or shouting (which is the reason for the Primus comparison earlier). The pieces frequently shift meters, with the bass and drums in such precise coordination that a listener might not notice until realizing that toe-tapping has gotten off the downbeat. Choreomanic is impressive on a technical level, an energetic blast of maximalist funk metal that illustrates its creator’s skills as both a bassist and composer.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Choreomanic

More info
http://choreomanic.bandcamp.com/album/choreomanic-2

 

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