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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Live instrumentation spices up electronic sosundscapes, 12 Jul 2005
'I really want to do a full live set led by piano... something that can stand on its own free from electronics.' Such was Dan Berridge's vision, expressed during an interview given almost two years ago. Following a second album on which he confronted his sweeping cinematic sound to traditional song structures by working with a vocalist, Berridge now investigates more intrinsically organic scopes, bringing the particular aesthetic of live jazz into his heavily emotional atmospheric soundscapes. For his third album, his first for Manchester-based Grand Central Records, Dan Berridge brings on board a string of collaborators and takes his project in yet another direction.Dan Berridge grew up listening to jazz and classical music, before he developed an interest in more contemporary musical forms such as hip-hop and electronica. Set on a collision course, these diverse influences resulted in the formation of Broadway Project. Signed to London-based Memphis Industries he went on to release a series of haunting EPs between 1999 and 2001, followed by his debut album, Compassion. Two years later, Berridge returned with The Vessel. Until then, Broadway Project had very much been Berridge's brainchild, but The Vessel saw the man sharing the workload with vocalist Richard Palmer and developing a different approach to his music. In Finite returns to the largely instrumental atmospherics of Compassion, but the focus here is very much on bringing in live instrumentation and developing Berridge's inspired sonic ambience within this new settings. Although he is still very much the sole driving force behind Broadway Project, In Finite features a number of contributors, including jazz pianist Matthew Bourne and double bass player Riaan Vosloo, with additional contributions from Christophe De Bezemac (saxophone), Rohan Kriwaczek (flutes), Julie Sharpe (strings) an James White (guitars). Here once again, the soundscapes are poignant and sumptuous, wrapped around Bourne's omnipresent piano, and serves Berridge's complex melodies perfectly. More than ever, the impressive range of Berridge's music is set against an abundance of sonic details (exotic instrumentation, finger percussions, environmental interferences), giving these compositions a reinforced element of urgency. On In Finite, Berridge investigates jazz and classical influences in far greater depth than on previous recordings. On I, Partisan, De Bezemac's sax draws beautiful arabesques over the intricate sonic layers which form the backbone of the track, while Kriwaczeck's flutes prevents Blood In The Temple from irrevocably turning to dark moody tones. Elsewhere, Bourne's crystalline piano lines define beautiful structures, echoing from track to track, acting as a common thread throughout. Although In Finite shows Broadway Project in new lights, the soul of Berridge music is truly alive all the way through. In Finite shares with Compassion its density and sombre moods, but the influx of energy and subtle touches brought on board by his collaborators give this album a far greater depth and only highlight Berridge as one of the most talented musicians of his generation.
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~ Broadway Project
~ Broadway Project
~ Sigur Ros
~ Burial
~ Animal Collective
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