The Night Spinner

BBC - Art of Scandinavia (2016)
HDTV | 1920x1080 | .MKV/AVC @ 3909 Kbps | 3x~58min | 4.99 GiB
Audio: English AAC 128 kbps, 2 channels | Subs: English
Genre: Documentary | History

Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the history of Scandinavia through its art.

Afterlife became giants of the downtempo and Ibiza scenes as Steven Miller signed with Hed Kandi and released the album Simplicity in 2000. Miller had already established a name for himself at Ibiza with his Café Del Mar exploits, but Afterlife raised the bar, largely due to the glorious singing voice of partner Rachel Lloyd and guest vocalist Hermione. In October of 2000, Hed Kandi issued this package: a deluxe box containing the original album, a whole slew of remixes, and a few new tunes to boot. For Ibiza this would be perfect for a trip for the beach, but it serves the listener(s) better in the late-night hours where the breeze is right, the wine is chilled, and the lights are low. Sweet sugar vocals and a deep, throbbing bass with pervasive jazzy overtones define the overall sound of the two discs put together. The effect is very smooth, sensual, and funky…

Following four years after The Drop, Drawn From Life sees Brian Eno collaborating with German DJ J. Peter Schwalm. (Music for Onmyo-Ji, a previous Eno/Schwalm work from 2000, was released in Japan only.) Those who soured at the distant crispness of The Drop will find this to be a more inviting listen, even more so than Eno's 1996 collaboration with bassist Jah Wobble on Spinner. Jazzy, shuffling rhythms and strings that sway from cutting to sighing lay the foundation of most of the tracks, with some repetitive nonmusical effects often falling somewhere in the mix. If there is a fault of the record, it's that the vocals often get in the way of some fine background listening. If you don't have an affinity for Laurie Anderson's voice, you might be troubled that "Like Pictures, Pt. 2," which otherwise happens to be one of the record's most melodic and tranquil tracks, is interrupted by her intonations…

Change was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group. "Wigwam" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. "Little Flamenco" was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.