Where the 70s meet today’s Dance production, that’s the seam this album is at, and we love it for that.
New. Music. Friday. Here we are once again, ending the week with a hoard of new releases to share. This time, though, we’ve got a very special one to share. I, for sure, have been quite vocal about my initial scepticism about cross-genre productions, unless done right, when they often blow me out of the water. Well, we’ve got such a case today. Enter, Bakermat.
And what’s so special about his latest artist album Grace Note, the fourth instalment of the kind in his career? His sound is often celebrated for its unique approach, a blend of Jazz, Soul, Funk, and Pop interwoven with House elements, and this time, he’s redrawn this pairing: in Grace Note, House meets Gospel.
Grace Note
Comprised of 15 original compositions, Grace Note marries the spiritual core of House music — the genre in which Bakermat has garnered widespread praise for over a decade — and the feelings passed on to church attendees. Bakermat believes there’s a ton in common between these two spaces, and wants to honour the shared sentiments of both. The result is a collection of songs designed to inspire and evoke the same kind of feelings that a standout night at a club, festival, or church can deliver.
From the uplifting vibes of ‘Work It Out’, to the inspirational quotes Ron Carroll delivers in ‘Life’, to the proper movie soundtrack energy of ‘Divine Stuff’, the entire album has an indescribable positive tint attached to it, and doesn’t take the tribute part lightly, as you’ll actually feel a different way once you’re finished with it. You feel, well, refreshed, and happy. To take it to the next level, the LP features the works of Lady Blackbird, Roland Clark, AMANZI, Ann Nesby, and Ron Carroll, who lend their voices for some of the tracks present, alongside Fly Disco Butter, who collaborated on the closing track ‘Your Shine’.
The album title itself, Grace Note, refers to the tiny imperfections in music that add something positive — something innately human — to the composition. This isn’t music made by machines, it’s a deeply personal project that is filled with strings, organs, choirs, speeches, and Bakermat’s beloved brass.
A grace note is basically a tiny little note you hit right before you play the one you’re supposed to play. It really doesn’t do that much for the composition of a song, but it does add a little bit of imperfection to it. The good kind of imperfection. You could say, in a way, that it adds grace to the song. And beauty. This album is a homage to House music and Gospel. Two of my absolute favourite genres that have much more in common than you’d think. Wherever people enter a club or a church they will experience feelings of euphoria, togetherness, joy, freedom, hope, love, wonder and affection that they cannot find anywhere else. For many people, house is their religion. So to celebrate that I made the club a church and the DJ a preacher.
-Bakermat
Writer’s Picks
Once again I describe how I work about this section of my album reviews: I dive blindly into the album, while doing something else and having it in the background, until a song resonates with me so much that it takes me out of whatever else I’m doing and drawing my attention towards the music. This happened to me with ‘Without Ya‘.
I can’t really put into words what this track does for me, but what I can describe is that it brings me back to my early childhood when Mum would pick me up from school, she had two Disco CDs she’d often play, and so the strings and the upbeat piano of ‘Without Ya’ fly me back to those moments I cherish so much. As Bakermat metaphorically phrases it, this track doesn’t do much for my entire week, say, but that moment in which it impacts my life, it brings me that good kind of imperfection, in which I have to step away from whatever I’m doing to enjoy the present, aka this track, eyes-closed, and smiling ear to ear.
Even Bakermat himself knows how special the track is, as he tells us, “‘Without Ya’ is a classic feelgood anthem mixing classical instruments and soul vocals with the energy and euphoria of House. I made it at a very happy and special moment in my life and I think you can hear that in the recording. If you’re ever wondering what the Bakermat sound is exactly, this song comes pretty close to incorporating almost all the elements I love. Genre mixing, strong pianos, Disco strings and of course my beloved sax“.
Bakermat — Grace Note Tracklist
- Intro (Feel The Positive Flow)
- Stand Up
- Work It Out
- Joy featuring Ann Nesby
- Praise Break
- Life featuring Ron Carroll
- Without Ya
- Glory
- High Above featuring Lady Blackbird
- Exceptional (Interlude)
- House Is The Religion
- Say You Wanna Be
- Divine Stuff
- Save My Soul featuring AMANZI
- Your Shine with Fly Disco Butter
Final Words
It’s part of my essence that I’ll praise albums which have a purpose. We’ve become accustomed to albums being light concepts, where the artist simply compiles songs and that’s it (cue my album editorial from last year), and so having a long-play with an actual theme told throughout its duration, feels wonderful.
Hats off to Bakermat, who was able to put something so beautiful together, and even more hats off (if that’s even a term) for making it convey the very emotions he talks about when referring to the bond between House and church: “euphoria, togetherness, joy, freedom, hope, love, wonder and affection“. That’s pure evidence of his musical artistry.
Soundtrack your weekend properly, and listen to Bakermat‘s brand-new album Grace Note by hitting the ‘Play‘ button on the Spotify player below. Also, click here to support the release on your platform of choice. Be sure to follow our page to stay up to date on the latest news and views regarding our beloved Dance music industry.
The post Bakermat Releases Gospel-House Fourth Artist Album, Grace Note appeared first on EDMTunes.
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