Ropeadope

The long-awaited debut album from Berlin’s finest, the six-man producer collective known as Jazzanova. While the name may conjure up imagery of Germany’s nu-jazz community, latin percussion, the term "broken beat", or more nonsense, you can now definitively say that Jazzanova isn’t ones to be pinned down by a singular style. Coming on more like a funked-up tortoise than the Jazzanova you think you had figured out, in between arrives, poised to be one of, if not the, album of the year. in between is not an album that answers to hype. It will still be heard, loved and treasured long after the nu-jazz compilation overkill has hit the dustbin of pop music history.

This album isn’t a quickie. It’ s not a simple supply to demand. How could it be? Jazzanova set their own standard so high, that they needed two years to achieve the desired result. It has often been pointed out that these six Berliners have set a new standard for the art of sampling. They use samples so well that most people can' t believe the music isn't live. To comprehend why such diverse producer-icons as techno- godfather derrick may or hip-hop legend jazzy Jeff get a twinkle in their eyes at the slightest mention of the word Jazzanova you'd probably have to stop by their studio to see them work. These guys are craftsmen. They treat music like Rodin treated marble. All those who expected an album in the style of their genre-bending, dance floor-savvy the remixes 1997-2000 may be taken aback by the scope of in between.

This is clearly not a just a soundtrack to the open-minded discotheque or chic-boutique, but rather an exploration of their collective vision - taking in influences from hip hop and afro-funk to boogie, disco, black-jazz, percussion music and soul. To love their music is to have an open ear. In between is conceptual yet ultimately accessible. In between is the result of a functioning "group effort." on the one side it presents the Jazzanova-affiliated sonar kollektiv (the Berlin-based collective of over 24 musicians and artists), with vocalist Clara Hill and micatone's bass-player Paul Kleberg making guest appearances. And on the other, the record brings in close relatives from around the world.

Philadelphia is especially well represented here, with soul-man of the moment Vikter Duplaix, spoken-word queen Ursula Rucker, former mc900 Jesus rapper Hawkeye fanatic and up-and-coming microphone fiend capital all making star appearances. But there's also Londoners rob Gallagher and Valerie Etienne and Japanese keyboard wizard Hajime Yoshizawa. Rounding out the world scope of this album are two men from the belly of underground American jazz. Vibes-man David Friedman, (who might be best known for his work with Tim Buckley and Carla Bley) and jazz-legend / Charles Mingus companion Doug Hammond.

There was no necessity to flash checkbooks to get people involved. Everybody was enthusiastic about the project and down to work with these visionaries that have their eyes and ears attuned not only to history but also to the future. Collectivism is Jazz nova’s central asset. Naturally, its members' 12 ears hear more than just two and six different musical educations are clearly more inspiring than one. Everything on the album makes sense. One feeling merges into the next. It is all in between and is all clearly Jazzanova. "Together we will grow, everyday makin¹ our time for us, to celebrate world family" Doug Hammond’s proclamation in "dance the dance" sounds like the spiritual message of in between: together we are strong and therefore unstoppable. Remember: all you hold in your hands now is just a debut album. A debut just right for the days to come. Jazzanova consists of the Jazzanova DJ-team (Juergen Von Knoblauch, Alexander Barak, and Claas Brieler), and the producers Stefan Leisering, Axel Reinemer and Roskow Kretschmann.