American Intelligence album cover
American Intelligence

Theo Parrish

2014
Sound Signature

This is the sound of Parrish entering his mature phase in glorious style. That is, it cuts loose completely from house as such, into a territory all his own — not that he was ever generic house in the first place. There’s no drama to the shift, though, just as there’s never any dramatic drops or breakdowns in Parrish productions, just the groove evolving as it sees fit. So here, “Ah” is a beatless stew of house synth bassline, floating chords, moaned vocals and jazz fusion guitar extemporisation. “I Enjoy Watching You” has group hollering of the title phrase and “I enjoy what you do” (perhaps referring to a crowd?) over a simple and raw drum machine pattern. The segue of “Tympanic Warfare” and “Fallen Funk” is a fecund ecosystem of prodded, stroked, jabbed and noodled keyboards. On it goes — it is a huge sprawling album, but if (and it’s a crucial “if”) you engage with this groove on its own steady, patient terms, the rewards are huge.

Joe Muggs

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