The self-proclaimed unholy trinity of Cari Lekebusch, Alexander Johansson and Mattias Fridell continue their streak after their lauded “Grab the Groove release”, now offering up “Farbror Blå” on Hybrid.
Obviously, the current reigning giants for Swedish techno are not finished. Their previous release of Grab the Groove was a great personal success for them, and it was a charting success as well. What we have here is a lovely and funky 3-tracker, proving that they have such an intuitive sense of what proper techno is and can be, that it just falls out naturally and with little effort.
In essence, the absence of struggle heard here provides a sense of relief to the listener. You’re just in there… right there in the studio with them, obviously having a great time. And it is that kind of quiet joy that you can listen to between the lines on “Kaskad.” With its groovy bounce and original kick choice, as well as the lilting tension lines, you’re right up in there with these minds, creating something real, original, and off the cuff.
Next up, we have “Ingemansland,” which translated means no man’s land. Which, if we’re going by titles, it certainly does provide this isolating feeling with what seems like wide panned and paranoid sounding voices. The occasional little sonic creatures are creeping about in this sonic landscape too.
Continuing the thematic places and adventure filled ideas is “Bökåstök”, which translates to Bookshelf. Again, we’re taken away to a place far off in our imaginations with the adventure and wistful, dusty fantasy pads, and dirty drums providing a foundation for which to travel in this world. What colors are present within it? Well, that’s up to you.
We’ve certainly written a bit about the duo Fridell & Johansson, and certainly also paid tribute to Lekebusch as well. But it seems like, with the recent recapture of the label name from the band Hybrid, back to where it belongs, in Cari’s hands, that there’s a new light in Lekebusch’s music, and there’s a lot of potential built up. With the addition of Mattias and Alexander on board, it’s accelerated to a point where there’s a lot of momentum that can be built up and take it anywhere they desire with ease. Be it a sonic landscape or exploring interesting funky rhythmic interactions that are unique and fun, there’s so much more that can be said and done.
Hopefully, this is only the beginning of what proves to be a very successful trio, since everything is there. The experience of each member is decades old, and their sense of sonic engineering is way far above average, and their willingness to try new things and have fun with it marks their work as unique and worthy of high praise, no matter how you look at it.
-Sean Ocean
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