With his debut singles having been championed by such taste making illuminati as Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff and Jazzanova, Will Holland was quick to follow on these initial successes with a longplayer – The Fifth Exotic surfacing in 2001 to considerable acclaim. Like Tru Thoughts compadres Bonobo and Jon Kennedy, who went on to record for Ninja Tune and Grand Central respectively, Quantic took his inspiration from sleepy 1990s chill and his samples from an enviable collection of funk 45s. With his debut cementing a reputation as a deliverer of late night horizontal delights Apricot Morning, Holland’s sophomore full length, built upon the achievements of its esteemed predecessor for something even more ambitious. This time around the work was less reliant on samples, clipping the stolen moments in favor of rippling with a live energy, undoubtedly a favourable side effect of his considerable touring experience with hotly tipped, 11-piece side project, the Quantic Soul Orchestra. As such plentiful strings found themselves rubbing against the hoots and parps of afro beat brass, loping percussion tasked with drawing these elements together into a cohesive whole. Some inspired instrumentals were further fleshed out by the wonderful vocal contributions of EQ, Bristolian hip hoppers Aspects and the majestic Alice Russell – who gave it up like Carleen Anderson on the slick “Search the Heavens”. – Kingsley Marshall
more »
