Mid-Air!’s latest, Smoothies and Jacuzzis, finds Christopher Alan Harbach in exactly
the place you might expect to find him in this time around: in a jacuzzi. With a
smoothie.
But look, that’s the easy way out, and it’s
dumb to just parrot the title of this thing and be done with it. But the
sophisticated beat-oriented jazz samplefest you’re treated to for nineteen
minutes here bears some of the hallmarks of its at-first-glance flippant (but
not really) title. See, Smoothies and
Jacuzzis is a lifestyle thing, a health regimen, a relaxation technique. It
offers nutritional benefits as well as a mental reprieve. You can ingest exotic
things that are good for you; Mid-Air! creates immaculate beat tapes out of
exotic source material that is totally good for you. You can immerse yourself
in the healing waters; Mid-Air! immerses you in the healing properties of
brilliant music. This is all a win-win – I’m beginning to think “smoothies” and
“Jacuzzis” are metaphorical anchors!
This is all a lot of talk without the actuality
of enjoyable music, and Mid-Air!, as usual, obliges. The beats are languid,
chillaxed; the samples carefully layered. While the immediate stylistic
touchstone is obviously jazz, “trip hop” is not an odd term to come to mind. I find
myself reclined, eyes closed, drink in hand when Mid-Air! hits the stereo, and
whether that drink is a smoothie or stronger, and whether I’m actually in a Jacuzzi
or just dreaming about being in one is of no consequence. I’m under the
Mid-Air! spell no matter what.
https://mid-air.bandcamp.com/
http://100percentbootleg.com/
--Ryan
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