Spectreview: sous chef & swingset – Saturn

Released: October 16, 2020

Jazz/Soul/Funk
(Experimental)
(Collage)

-DARK ORANGE-

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I think Antoine Martel is an insanely talented keyboardist and soundscape designer. I also think Jordan Lowe is a gifted singer with a natural knack for rounded melodies. Simply by process of addition, a collaborative effort between these two Seattle artists is already an exciting prospect.

Saturn follows in the footsteps of Martel’s more freeform outings under his solo moniker, sous chef. This EP, to be more precise, is exactly one part experimental and one part sunlit funk/soul, undoubtedly stemming from Lowe’s and Martel’s joint interest. I appreciate collaborations where each individual’s styles can be discerned, and you can clearly hear Lowe’s taste in chords across the comfy “sliding door” and the gentle closer “cinerama”. These, besides the catchy “tndr,” are the “songs” of the 7-track EP; the rest are looser segments ranging from the jazzy collages of “65mm digital b/w” and “hg” to the lush backtracking of “untethered”.

Barring one questionable pairing of spoken word and electronic bleeps in “kevin” (a given for its experimental nature), the EP is wholly great. It’s a small package of great ideas and uniformly excellent production that’s as much a showcase of combined talents as it is a breezy foray into various jazz-inflected flavors.

Recommended for a lava lamp on a picnic table.