Artist: Sax G
Album:Tu Me Manques
Label: Cloud Nice
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Tu Me Manques (in French: “I miss you”), the new album by Seattle producer/vocalist Sax G, shares many qualities with his previous album, Pootey Brown Is…Sax G. Both sizzling synthesizer funk-braced, and drizzled with Sax’s sophisticated vocal icing, Tu Me Manques turns out to be the full realization of the vision he’s previously alluded to. The eleven track album is heavily instrumental, and shows off the depth of Sax’s skill as a producer. Space is used to his advantage, as empty moments become warmly furnished rooms, and pillowy bed spreads — then just as easily, he leaves you alone, with only a bass kick for company. Neo-soul standout Choklate surfaces twice, and Sax toys with a few rapped bars, but the focus is on rhythm, and the synthy padding around it. The tracks are more “environments” with high-definition treatments than “songs,” though subtle melodic repetition and the occasional vocal bit add continuity to each statement. It’s music to get lost in.
Sax may be the only artist contractually tied to Cloud Nice (the collective simply acts as a non-formal means of release for its other artists [see: Kingdom Crumbs]), but he’s decided to stick with their free-love-free-music design, and the album is free to listen to, though a donation of $10 is suggested “for those who have the means.” With that, I’ll say: Tu Me Manques is definitely worth the time, and thus worth a little bit of change.
