- One of the most anticipated albums of 2005 is undeniably Dub, Edits and Whiskey-Coke from Swiss producer, Chab. Francois Chabloz has been putting out some mighty impressive productions for half a decade since we were first introduced to his work in 2000 with ‘Get My Love’. It wasn’t really until his fantastic ‘Tunneling’ was heard on Anthony Pappa’s Nubreed album that we got a true taste of the talents that lied within Chab’s work, and from that point on, he has consistently delivered the goods on a demanding market. Many tracks on and many successful compilation appearances later, we now arrive to his debut artist album on the SAW imprint, and what a quality album it is.
The opening track, You & Me, is superb, full of raw emotion and atmosphere thanks to some quirky melodies and beautiful string patterns. The album smoothly transitions (keep in mind the album is mixed) into one of his recent hits, Closer To Me, a smooth journey of vocal house thanks to the retro like vocals of JD Davis. Sunrise keeps the fantastic flow and energy with some swirling synths, melodies and some nice subtle but driving baselines. Monster is a cheeky fusion of electro stabs and quirky vocals thanks to JD Davis while Lover is a somewhat cinematic piece, again using lots of emotive elements. Five is a little chunkier with a smooth baseline meeting subtle acid riffs and a quirky vocal hook while many will appreciate the smooth baselines and cute melody of My Memory. Part 2 of My Memory follows and it is a little more gritty then its predecessor with stronger beats and some summer pads. Us & Them is straight up class thanks to some intense acid hooks, electro riffs and a general collection of intense sounds and effects. The album comes to a close with the very retro sounds of 1987 thanks to some killer stabbing pads.
What has surprised me about this album is perhaps the change we have seen in Chab’s work. This album has pretty good variety despite the pretty full on nature of it, and it has some great moments in there. Don’t expect many dark moments like his older work, but instead expect some pure inspiring moments, probably due to the fact that he spent a year in Tuscany during the making of this album. It is put together really well, and it hasn’t been poorly mixed let me assure you, with sounds from certain productions carrying well into following tracks, and the general flow working very well. Some may be put off by the fact that there aren’t many downbeat productions in the album, but once you hear what Chab has produced, you may not really be that worried.