United Future Organisation – Bon Voyage

Despite its promising arc in the early '90s, the term "acid jazz" became a pejorative all too quickly. By the mid '90s, in order to stake claim to ears, minds and asses, deejays and producers were fleeing for the (then) perceived higher ground of the nascent drum & bass and jungle scenes, genres which themselves had woefully short lifespans. Into this mad dash entered United Future Organization's stunning self titled debut, like a groovy Robert De Niro airlifting himself IN to Saigon just as everyone else was leaving. And the results are remarkable from beginning to end, save perhaps for a palpable drop in energy in the album's last few tracks. But it is rare for any group to string together six consecutive tracks of such high quality and diverse sound to begin any record in their catalogue, let alone their official debut.

Featured on 1994's Red Hot and Cool compilation, the Japanese production trio UFO heads a loose collective of musicians and vocalists present here. Jazz, R&B, trip-hop, Spanish, Caribbean, and Brazilian rhythms all appear in one form or another; surprisingly, these disparate elements flow well through the course of ten songs.

« Figurez-vous que la Terre n’est pas peuplée que d’humains. D’autres êtres, tout aussi vivants que nous, partagent cette copropriété, et pas toujours pour la tranquillité générale.
De tous les animaux, le cochon nous est le plus proche.
Il nous accompagne depuis toujours. Nous adorons sa viande, et comme, génétiquement parlant, il nous ressemble comme personne, nous prélevons en lui des valves pour soigner nos cœurs défaillants et de l’insuline pour guérir notre diabète. …