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At one stage, Ubiquity Records were everywhere with thier distinctive 12" covers making them stand out from the crowd: that honor is now with Reuben Vaun Smith with his 'Land Of Music' that's in its own Pangaea of a musical supercontinent!
Ubiquity was founded back in 1993 in San Francisco and they've always had a sunny West Coast vibe to their artists and Reuben Vaun Smith's fits that criteria with the Balearic nu-disco quality of the 12 track album 'Land Of Music'.
If you're a fan of James Alexander Bright (see review HERE) or the "beach" series of Paul Hilary's 'Children Of The Sun' (see review HERE) or Lucky Sun (see review HERE) or even a combination of the three, Reuben along with the vocals of Lucy Saddler and guitar of Chico Mann (who himself has been ubiquious on so many labels over the years) are the combo for you.
This album was recorded mostly on a boat moored in the Mediterranean, an inspiration that's reflected in the titles, like the instrumentals 'Colours In The Sky' and 'Marina Scene' whilst 'Lost In Space' with Ms. Saddler and the title track are a bit funkier, as is 'House Boat Mayday' with Reuben on vocals.
It's really hard to believe the house-boat studio story as the production is so clean, (this is not "lo-fi" as previous RVS releases have been described), with the synths (and percussion) on top of the waves for the dreamy funk of 'Signature Whistle', 'Talking To People' and the closer 'Agua Vida'.
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There's more than enough sunny sounds on this album to keep us warm through the winter and I expect worldwide dancefloors will have it as a go-to summer haven (the track 'Summer Haven' in particular enjoys the disco synths vs. sax vs. percussion that fits much of the sea bed of this album).
More on a downtempo groove, we've got 'Disappear For A While' which is almost downtempo, chill-out synth pop; and it's really great and a favourite along with the 'Marina Scene' Stingray-disco, the too-slow-to-disco-jazz-funkish-jam 'Firefly', the marvellously warped piano bar 'We Dance The Sky' that sounds like a track taken from a Verve Remixed compilation (possibly in the a Shirley Horn's 'Return To Paradise' envelope).
As you can tell, this is a strangely individual album that's really accessible - even then, it's quite a lot to take in - also recommend his half-hour long one track EP, 'Bimba Sound' (see below link).
James Alexander Bright's mates, the Flying Mojito Bros. (see review HERE) will love this (Ed. that's trendy) and I must mention the artwork, Nadiuska and Priscila Furtad (aka Uinverso) are based in Brazil and have imaginatively captured a the vibe of 'Land Of Music' and you will too, especially if you were into his previous albums 'Da Cuckoo YaYa' (great title), 'Sounds From The Workshop' and 'Warm Nights'..
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