APPAREL REVIEW:
Hamza Rahimtula
Groove Guru LP
[Selekta Recordings]
Here we are, back from holidays and craving for some new, good music to listen to. We stumbled upon the forthcoming release on the American imprint Selekta Recordings: Hamza Rahimtula’s Groove Guru LP.
An intriguing work by one of the most avant-garde Indian House music DJ/Producer from New Delhi, who succeeds in the challenging task of merging so many diverse and particular sonic influences into one record. As we previously mentioned, here in our AM’s reviews section we strictly look for the most exciting, thought-provoking music and Groove Guru LP rightfully falls into this category, being an enjoyable record but also full of technicalities and fine points.
It is wonderful to witness the merger between two entities (artist & label), when they manage to give their best to create a product that is the best possible for the audience so -first of all- shouts to Selekta Recordings for backing up such an ambitious project. The record kicks off with the title track ‘Groove Guru’ and ‘Do It Right’, two hits, both embodying the Renaissance of Disco/Funk on Selekta’s frequencies and goes on with the more modern/actual touch of ‘Moody’, a breezy and happy composition where every element of the arrangement -from the skilfully written vocal samples to the energetic and dynamic rhythm section- are put in its proper place. It recalls some of the best House tunes from the prolific modern French school and adds a playful side to the LP. But let’s move on, as we get closer to the ‘heart’ of the Guru, with the two rhythmically raw tracks ‘I Know How You Feel’ and ‘Nawar’, where Hamza shows he’s not a man for idle chitchat, delivering a couple of hard hitting tracks with straightforward beats and a neat harmonic progression.
To put it more bluntly: two club belters. With the next tune ‘Lonesome Beat (Hamza’s Mix)’ the artist brings back the listener to a more eccentric sonic atmosphere. Here the ethereal chords and a New Wave-ish guitar-synth reintroduces a lighter and more airy listening dimension. The leitmotiv of the whole album remains, however, a great care for the rhythm section, which ties together all the musical elements, never leaving them alone to wander in the fields of the arrangement. But here come my two personal fave: ‘Blue Groove’ and ‘Funky Chusky’. Two tracks that flow smoothly from beginning to end, featuring a multitude of impressive sonic minutiae, and highly representative of Hamza's musical talent. In both tunes he’s able to manipulate the arrangement to combine numerous musical influences together -from the delightful strings to the groovy saxophone- borrowing from Boogie, Soul, Disco music and creating what is -perhaps- the most fun track of the record. The finale is composed of a Radio Edit of ‘Groove Guru’ and, as we welcome Sparkinzi’s Beta on remix duties, his very personal version of Lonesome Beat, where he invites us to see the matter from a much Deep-er angle. Nicely done. What we’ve just listened to and -later on- tried to describe, according to our instinctive sensations, is a very solid/compact album, where many sound elements chase and intertwine without ever leaving anything unfinished. On the contrary, making Groove Guru LP by Hamza Rahimtula an extremely cohesive LP with a sure impact on the independent music market. We hope to have given you some elements to better approach the listening of this record but, above all, to have intrigued you. It’s up to you to get your own POV, we have ours and we will continue to express it on our platform, which is not the Bible of written music.
There is no truth in music, there are only subjective feelings and diversely sensitive ears, so try to immerse yourselves in Groove Guru, a record that brings together Deep House, Funk, World Music influences and much more. The album will be released on September 2nd and we encourage you to listen to it carefully (and to dance to it).
APPAREL REVIEW:
Hamza Rahimtula
Groove Guru LP
[Selekta Recordings]