Rick.e.dee – Bondi Chill (TuneCore)
Reviews | December 27, 2006 | 3,012 views
After taking a sip from my cup of coffee this morning I realize it is 9 o’clock and still the light has only just begun to peak up over the horizon. It seems a small price to pay for the life we live here in Alaska. But, no one can deny that the darkness and cold can grip you tightly this time of year. Many restless hours are spent wishing for warmth, sometimes just the freedom to run around in a t-shirt. Some Alaskans are just crazy enough to wear their summer attire during the peak of winter in some kind of gesture of refusal to the winter’s chill. Music can provide a better suggestion because it can help transport you to a warmer climate where the days are long and the heat of the sun’s rays is felt through your headphones.
At certain times, an album with a particular sound can help transport you to a new destination. Music can be regional and the sound can define a place. Bob Marley is a classic example where an artist’s music helped shape a perception of the Caribbean and Africa. His Jamaican rhythms were filled with a style that many recognize. His music even helped identify a movement against injustice. Sometimes a musician has the ability to make the mind wonder what it is like to live in another region of the world. Rick.e.dee (aka Rick Drummond) has released his debut entitled Bondi Chill, and it is just the kind of music that gives you an aural image of another place.
Recorded in Bondi Beach, Australia, this album infuses ethnic sounds of the world with mostly upbeat electronica to produce music with a definite groove. It opens with “Price of Love”, a downbeat track with nice layers that is bound to attract your appreciation like your favorite Napolean dessert. Rick applies his knowledge of musical theory with use of a subtle keyboard rhythm that is laid over a melodic beat. Occasional vocal chants make this song seem playful, perfect for your next beach outing. Bondi Chill progresses and we find a harmonic beat collection on “Africa.” Here, different sounding vocals are added at the beginning to make the sound of this track regionally recognizable. Like Marley on many of his own creations, “Africa” reminds us of the fight for personal freedoms and the resistance against apartheid. His sample must be none other than Nelson Mandela as he describes his own struggle for the people of his country. Rick even finds use for a didgeridoo on “The Freedom Rides” to brand his own Australian style to this downtempo, electronic work. Near the end on “Machinations”, Rick composes electronica with a sophisticated beat that carries slight Amon Tobin qualities that ends way too quickly. Some tracks like “Dreaming” seem to depart from the overall production sound of Bondi Chill. However, the album never seems to loose its appeal as it continues to deliver a wealth of unique work that make it clear Rick has an affinity for world music. It definitely gives the sense that Rick has done his homework, traveling the globe, and adding his own infectious personal taste to the different electronic sounds of planet Earth.
