Saturn Never Sleeps – Yesterday’s Machine
Saturn Never Sleeps: 2011
Late jazz composer and cosmic philosopher Sun-Ra proclaimed Saturn as his place of origin. King Britt and Rucyl, a pair of juggernaut producers from planet Philadelphia, have married their own audio visionary expertise with an homage-paying project called Saturn Never Sleeps. Their debut, Yesterday’s Machine, is the kind of mood music that works–a soothing journey through varied electronic dispositions; one that transcends genre, yet captures the soul of a collective listening experience.
Opener “Lotus’’ could justifiably be clumped in with the Johnny-come-lately chill wavers, and that’s not a terrible thing. Rucyl’s bittersweet love affirmations sound Sade-ish over unforced xylophones that shimmer out of unison. The quiet clutter gives the track an improvisational feel, appropriately foreshadowing the varied sonic path of the collaboration.
The looped hand claps of “Bit By Bit’’ are stacked between emotional blips and bleeps, as Rucyl converses with King Britt’s productive pulse… I think I’m gonna like this game…bit by bit you hold me closer. The melody then regenerates, blooming a percussive shift into bare-bones boom-bap, not dissimilar to that of Madlib nor album standout “Tory,’’ accenting a befitting nod to hip hop, perhaps the ethereal subtlety that unifies the entire installation.
Rucyl’s earthy phonetics behind the afro-rhythmic thump of “Divine’’ sound joyous and organic, while closer and disco ball-reflector “Take It Out’’ grooves to a mischievous break-beat. Yesterday’s Machine only sounds sleepy on lulling segue way “DRK’’ and the overly wordy “Yesterday Is Gone”, neither of which seem necessary, emitting more of an Enya vibe (no thanks).
Overall though, Saturn Never Sleeps’ experimental voyage is a triumph, built upon the enriched, soulful synergy between a pair of Philadelphia stars.
3 out of 5