Skalpel - Skalpel (Ninja Tune, 2004)

Skalpel (duo)

Marcin Cichy & Igor Pudło (Boxx)

Skalpel (Ninja Tune, 2004)

After over a decade operating under a distinct musical aesthetic, Ninja Tune's electrified nu-jazz template is so well established that it's now become a reference point for most downtempo breakbeat releases. Signature artists like Amon Tobin, Cinematic Orchestra and Coldcut have set the mold by which the London-based label combs for artists, and for the most part, it's been uncannily successful in tracking down their ilk wherever they lurk. Their latest project dips into the unlikely breeding grounds of Wroclaw, Poland to spotlight an emerging duo who've gained major acclaim in their homeland but not much further beyond. Skalpel, first "discovered" by Ninja Tune's Russian futurist DJ Vadim on an Eastern European tour, is comprised of Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo, two jazzophile DJs whose slinky, filmic debut fits perfectly into the Ninja Tune template.

The question is whether or not that's a good thing. Skalpel are certainly more than adept at what they do; their seamless blend of dusty 50s and 60s Polish jazz records is technically flawless and their subdued, dramatic compositions are stirring. If you're looking for a new kick, however, you won't find it here-- the recipe, though originating from an ethnically left-field kitchen, is tried and true. You've heard it done before by their labelmates and others, a reverence for fantasy basement jam sessions peopled by the likes of Miles, Elvin, Herbie and Shorter, processed through a funky breaks blender to yield a sonic frappe both thoroughly modern and strangely reminiscent, something almost completely subliminal.

Perhaps Skalpel's four shows for Ninja Tune's Solid Steel radio program over the past couple years set the album on its beeline course; right out of the gates it bumps and jostles into warmly familiar territory a la Cinematic Orchestra's seminal Motion. A uniquely playful sense of kitschy humor first surfaces within the rubbery double bass and old-time vocal samples of "Not Too Bad" and "1958", where a staid female voice instructs, "Let them play their jazz albums, and dance all night if they want to." Actually too subdued for all but the most blunted dance floors, these songs possess an understated bounce and horn-led levity best suited for a headphone symphony. The voluptuous sound of hard-plucked upright bass and perfectly crisp snare keeps the pulse just above comatose, floating in a comfortably lullabied middle ground.

But most of all, it's the album's fluid, meandering solo samples that help push Skalpel above decaffeinated café jazz. The inclusion of liner notes detailing the original players they've sampled here gives some insight into their modus operandi, and a pleasant effect of the duo keeping enough of the original players' bars intact is that the music absorbs some of the soloists' stylistic overtones, without ever feeling like shameless plundering.

A few tracks midway through Skalpel raise the album to its peak. The rolling cymbals and electronic atmospherics of "So Far" pair with minor-key piano and horns to progress through nighttime byways; "Break In" leads off with a psychedelic flourish before delving into an indiscernible horn current broken by ethereal vibraphone and dubby studio tricks; the kinky organ run on "Quiz" steadily builds and changes as the song progresses. On these songs, Skalpel smudge the line between organic and electronic effortlessly, like a landscape artist working with charcoal, creating deep nuances of light and shadow that give the work its overall depth. The Polish language samples on "Theme from Behind the Iron Curtain" are a welcome reminder of the music's origins, coming right before the serene dream of "Sculpture" that gently closes the album.

With Skalpel, Ninja Tune adds to its roster another peddler of dreamy, jazzy breaks-- the kind of innocuous, idealized electro jazz that smacks to some people of played-out formula. But for fans of the style, there's a whole lot of to enjoy on this debut. Its rhythmic dexterity and melodic sweep are hard to deny-- as long as you can swallow that sense of having heard it all before.

Tracklist:
01. High
02. Not Too Bad
03. 1958
04. Together
05. So Far
06. Break In
07. Quiz
08. Asphodel
09. Theme from 'Behind the Curtain'
10. Sculpture

By Jonathan Zwickel
http://pitchfork.com