Modal Forces / Percussive Forces cover

Modal Forces / Percussive Forces

Released

Library music is short incidental mood music recorded specifically for TV, radio, and films, and the rediscovery of a vast, rich, varied, sometimes funky, sometimes plain odd catalogue of library music has influenced hip-hoppers, beatmakers, samplists and DJs alike. For this 2023 album, Degiorgio takes the library format (most of the tracks are sub-three minute, many under two) to create a series of jazz funk and modal jazz tracks, built from electric piano, acoustic bass and synths, aided by live drums from Chris Whitten. 

The result is a series of evocative fusion pieces characterised by a necessary economy with literally no time for slow build-ups or drawn-out musical development. Instead, each track springs to life instantly with the main musical idea and mood pretty much fully formed, every musical part entirely necessary. The first half is sophisticated thematic jazz fusion while the second is more funky, and includes plenty of super-bad live breakbeat drum action along with some killer Degiorgio synth bass sounds. Superbly done.

Harold Heath

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