Review: Urbs - Geheimland (Compost Records)

You'll recall from the earlier single and EP releases that we're big fans of Urbs and his 'Geheimland' project that's now being released as an album.

The opening track, ''Levitation' gives you an idea why this guy has been so in demand with film, TV/documentaries and commercial industries. And then the other ten tracks are so definitive of his  is soulfully deep beats of lush nu-jazz instrumentals.

Tracks tracks like, 'Mighty Amethyst' gets his Miles dub up, 'Mandarine Sparrow Song' is Acker Bilk vs. Toots Thielemans (ask your grandparents) and 'Im Geheimland' start the journey in secret land far, far away where OST meets hip-hop beats and synths.

At the other extreme, 'Thasos' is lining up for the Balearic beach party remix with it's 'waves on the beach' sound efx, whispy vocals and flutes in the breeze and is cleverly followed by a even more mellow track, 'She Of Tranquility' (did you see what he did there?) with synths on the shoreline in space and 'Woodwind' brings us back to he flutes vs. twangy guitar PI detective theme' and then 'Cryosol' (the only vocal track) gets even closer to nordic/film noir with the big strings that's close to Cinematic Orchestra.

'The Lizbeth Phraze' slips in some Indo-jazz whilst 'Ever Golden' is another jazzy theme that very TV with beautiful bass a la Ron Carter.

The album ends on a high as 'Light Comes On' manages to capture all of what's gone on before as if, the lights have come on.

If you take out the heavy jazz from Cinephonic's 'Visions' (review HERE) and mixed it up with the beats of Si Tew's 'Quietude (review HERE) and Conic Rose's 'Heller Tag' (review HERE) you can see why this album is getting the response from all you're usual DJ suspects from Gilles, Peterson to Rainer Trüby to Jonny Trunk  

 

Compost Records are on a winner with this one as 2023 upddate on the Kruder & Dorfmeiser style! 

P.S. Isn't the artwork stunning

Artist: Urbs

Title: Geheimland

Release date: 3rd March, 2023

Label : Compost Records

Catalog Number : CPT603 / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Urbs - Im Geheimland (Compost Records)

If you were in Vienna in the mid-00s and part of the party 'Dub Club' scene (which included Stereotyp, Makossa & Megablast, Rodney Hunter, Hubert Tubbs (ex-Tower Of Power) and many more) you might be surprised to hear that 10 years earlier a young Paul Nawrata (aka Urb) was taken under the wings of the Austrian version of Tony Wilson (aka Werner Geier) and took his first steps (along with Chaoz) in dance/hip-hop beats production that would become better known as trip-hop.

And by the time his debut in 2005 on G-Stone Recordings (co-produced by Peter Kruder (he of the Kruder & Dorfmeister sound and latterly, Voom:Voom), this also became a big European success (partly due to Gilles Peterson fandom) such that Urbs began producing other Austrian musicians and doing loads of remixes for the likes of Tosca, Marsmobil and Daniel Haaksmann (another Dub Club 'influencer').

Urbs has been busy ever since with film, TV/documentaries, commercials so it's about time he got back in the public eye and this 3 track EP will definitely do that. This is soulfully deep beats of lush nu-jazz instrumentals; 'Mighty Amethyst' gets his Miles dub up, 'Mandarine Sparrow Song' is Acker Bilk vs. Toots Thielemans (ask your grandparents) on the shoreline in space and 'Im Geheimland' start the journey in secret land far, far away where OST meets hip-hop beats and synths. You will not be surprised to hear that this is being released on Compost Records as Urbs had managed to sneak the tapes passed the boarder guards whilst they were watching a re-run of the Third Man; no zither on this as far as I can make out but what a great start to 2023! 

P.S. Don't forget the pre-holidays release of Urbs' 'Levitation' (also on Compost Records)

P.P.S. Harry Lime was a bad man.

Artist: Urbs

Title: Im Geheimland / Mighty Amethyst / Mandarine Sparrow Song

Release date: 20th January, 2023

Label : Compost Records

Catalog Number : CPT603-6 / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Urbs – Levitation (Compost Records)

Urbs' 'Levitation' does just that, it take you higher as if you're floating on air.

Beautifully laid back and ready for your summer holidays - couldn't be better timed.

Not a great fan of the artwork - is the archipelago going to erupt?  

What can be said, this trip hop vs dope beat electronica hybrid is ready to blow up as Compost have got themselves another winner with this one.

Artist: Urbs

Title: Levitation

Release date: 9^th December, 2022

Label : Compost Records

Catalog Number : CPT603-5 Digital / Bandcamp