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artist:
Tosca |
country of origin:
Austria |
style(s):
Lounge, dub, chilled house, downtempo funk |
essential releases:
Suzuki (1999, K7 Records)
Delhi 9 (2003, K7 Records) |
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Tosca is one of several possible sources of relief if you're among the many frustrated punters who've wated in vain for Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister to release a "proper" album of their own compositions (as opposed to productions and remixes). Tosca's recording career goes back at least as far as K & D's does, pairing old school buddies Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber. This duo first turned the underground's ears in the mid-90's with their weird trip hop-meets-opera single "Chocolate Elvis" and have since released some well-regarded downtempo albums, the second and third of those being the pick of the bunch.
Their second album Suzuki melds dubby and tuneful basslines with a bright, positive vibe and showcases Dorfmeister's talents for blunting sounds to perfection. Probably Tosca's most distinctive trait is the way they use some of their guest vocalists. Lots of "ooos", "arrrs" and other unintelligible voice bytes done in a way that could fairly be described as kooky. The album's standout is "The Key" with its extraordinary rolling bassline calmed by gorgeous vibraphone and keyboard phrases that gently skim the surface like randomly thrown pebbles.
Bridged by a couple of remix albums is the duo's third proper album Delhi 9 and it's also a pearler. The album comes in two halves. Disc One expands somewhat beyond the duo's dubby roots to explore some deep house grooves and jazz-flavoured riffs. Disc Two is something else altogether: ten deep ambient piano pieces by Huber with subtle production magic care of Dorfmeister. If you’ve already been spellbound by the wispy piano musings of Harold Budd will know what to expect. For lounge and dub fans it will hopefully be a quiet thrill to discover ambient piano music for the first time. It’s one of the most contemplative corners of the ambient world and a style that remains forever beyond time and fashion.
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