Spacek - Vintage Hi-Tech

The supreme craftsmen of haunted micro-soul.

"Apparently once described as the 'Radiohead of Soul' (pffft), Spacek return with the follow up to their epochal 2001 debut Curvatia. Released from a frustrating major label deal, Vintage Hi-Tech is the result of the diligent toil of Steve Spacek and Morgan Zante in their newly built studio. The duo have been working together with vocalist Edmund Cavill since the mid-90s and the ten tracks on Vintage Hi-Tech impressively emphasise Spacek's individual perspective.

The stripped to the bone R&B,downbeats and soft, endearingly evocative vocals make the unmistakeable Spacek sound and combine to create shades of a Massive Attack tete-a-tete with D'Angelo. This album really is in a world of its own: its delayed, swinging tracks are rooted in soul but cuts like the hip hop inspired "Motion Control" show an alternative side to what is an essentially concise and well produced version of a late night soundtrack. The groovy, cutting-edge tracks such as "Amazing" and "I Know" (where the beats just give a slight suggestion of funk) to the jazzy vocalled "Time", this is definitely an album you can warm to. In between, there's the void, containing nothing but vocals and vibes until "La Bougie" and its lazy, discordant finale.

This is a laidback, occasionally horizontal album and very good it is too. Timeless and futuristic at the same time, Spacek's fragile songs remain their strongest advantage. Their inimitable sound is instantly recognisable and their music remains essentially beyond any specific classification." - David Silverman

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