Black Rascals - Blaze Theme

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  • Opinions are as fleeting as the wind, and tastes as malleable as the leaves blown around in it. Reassessment is the period of calm in which things can be viewed as stationary, as belonging, until of course the gust picks up again. It gauges progress, sets examples and invites improvement. Nowhere is this more relevant than in the hyper-evolving world of dance music. In the 17 years since Black Rascals' "Blaze Theme" first appeared, there have been countless mutations of the style, itself only a fraction of a greater musical whole. Discostep, post-fidget—only time will tell what stands the test, as this particular record has done so emphatically. The Black Rascals were Josh Milan and Kevin Hedge, better known for their prolific output as—you guessed it—Blaze. It was a moniker for which they seemingly reserved their very deepest endeavours. Nothing, however, plunged deeper than "Theme," and all it took to get it there was a bassline. There's precious little else: a kick drum, an offbeat hi-hat, a chord stab. That's it. But then you hear that bassline and you want to throw away your sequencer; you want to learn how to play properly, how to improvise, how to feel. It smoulders its way effortlessly around the blues scale in a constant state of variation. Every dominant and diminished seventh produces a wince of the soul and you remember why you love house, nay, music in general. It's a slight shame that the record is missing its original a-side companion, "Keeping My Mind"—a rousing piece of vocal work that follows a definite continuity—but if it can only be one, then let it be "Theme." Deep house is as popular now as it ever was then, though it's nowhere near as thrilling.
  • Tracklist
      A Blaze Theme Track
RA