Nothing to do with Obiwan, as far as I can see (Soundphiles - Kinobe)

Member Name: missbrowneyedgirl

Product:	Soundphiles - Kinobe
Date:	26/06/01 (747 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: chilled, summery, brilliant

Disadvantages: could be a bit longer

Kinobe have been a bit of a buzz name over the past few months. It seemed to me that everyone was talking about them but no-one really seemed to know a lot about them. This intrigued me and when a magazine compared them to Groove Armada I just had to find out for myself!

I popped into amazon.co.uk and promptly dropped their album, SoundPhiles, into my basket. Two days later, there it is on my desk. The front cover depicts two guys projected onto library shelf ends, who I assume to be Kinobe. Further investigation of the album literature leads me to believe these men to be Julius Waters and Mark Blacburn although which I which, I haven't a clue (not such a hot detective am I?).

Still, so far so good, and quite similar to Groove Armada but what about the music? After all that is what this opinion is supposed to be about! The album clocks in at 53 minutes which would just give my Jacket Potato enough time to be done to perfection, so to the stereo I ventured!

/ Track One: The Biological Break /

'Oh! They meant to say Bentley Rhythm Ace as opposed to Groove Armada' I thought as the first track started. The track is starts with the most wonderful set of samples including planes, sirens and a 60s B-Movie style vocal laid over the top. It's very funky and also slightly reminiscent of the Prodigy in the Music for the Jilted Generation era. Overall it's an interesting introduction to the album and builds you anticipation of the following tracks.

/ Track Two: Theatrics /

Theatrics aptly stars with a horror film type melody creating a deep atmosphere. Again there are lots of sound samples and scratching but this time there are lyrics. The vocals are provided by Benjamin Zephaniah and tell a great story of someone losing their mind because of the ways of the modern world. The chorus aptly sings, 'The world is cracking up but the show must go on'. Overall the track is kind of a crazy mix between L
eftfield and the Corrs! You have to hear it to see what I mean!

/ Track Three: Skyscraper /

Skyscraper has a much more mellow feel than the previous two tracks and here I can begin to see the Groove Armada comparison falling into place. The bassline remind me of Mos Def's 'Umi Says' and the piano melody is Oasis's Morning Glory in places. As with the rest of the album Kinobe display a fine talent for hallmarking their work with the Kinobe stamp: familiar but new at the same time. This is the only track on SoundPhiles to be Copyrighted to 1999 rather than 2000. I guess this must have been their first release, and I also guess someone will correct me on this!

/ Track Four: Hombre /

Hombre, as it's title may suggest, has a Mexican feel to it provided by the acoustic guitar. However add an infectious bassline, western-type melody and some unobtrusive percussion and you have another classic masterpiece! The song is an instrumental and very chilled out although not too downtempo. The whole thing reminds me of lying on foreign shores, watching the sun rise on my way home from a hard nights clubbing.

/ Track Five: Bopalong /

Bopalong will probably make you do exactly as it's name suggests and bop along! The guitar reminds me of the music they used to play on the BBC in between the programs for schools in the early 80s. It's not bad, just familiar enough to make you very relaxed with the tune. This is another track that wouldn't seem out of place on an Air album. It is a chilled out instrumental, which seems to be what Kinobe do best!

/ Track Six: Slip Into Something... /

This sounds familiar! A closer inspection of the packaging reveals it to be the song used on the Kronenbourg 'Femme Fatale' advertisement. The sea laps onto the shore with a lazy beat and melodic strings. This version has lazy vocals provided by Ben & Jason (haven't got a clue who they are).
This one even sings about oceans and sand, keeping the mood of previous track perfectly.

/ Track Seven: Bayou Barrataria /

You will be forgiven for believing the first note is the start of Chris Isaak's Wicked Games. However, listen a little further and you will soon realise different. The track is funkier, bassier (if that's a word!) and slightly more uptempo than the previous batch. Kinobe seem to have a wonderful way of creating depth and atmosphere with their sounds and this is displayed wonderfully here, particularly with the hushed voices talking in the background.

/ Track Eight: Lucidity /

Lucidity takes your daydream journey into the depths of the jungle, buy a small river. The track is overlaid with a very wise lecture about perceptions of life. The accent of the speaker is a little irritating and reminds me of Bill Gates for some reason. Other than that think along the lines of Baz Luhrmann's Sunscreen track.

/ Track Nine: Grass Roots Horizon /

This track really drops the tempo making it probably the most laid back on the album. The incredible vocals are provided by Xan (?) who sings a relaxing tale of 'humming birds and tress and flowers'. I can see this track being a big hit and it has great potential for remixes.

/ Track Ten: Hammock Island /

Hammock Island is filled with the laid back sounds of the Spanish guitar, and immediately conjures up images of sunny beaches. The overall feel of the track is very Balearic and somewhat reminiscent of Bt's 'Running On The Way Up'. One really nice touch is the way the melody is played over a variety on instruments and octaves!

/ Track Eleven: K-I-N-O-B-E Skit /

This is more of an interlude than a track, or possibly an introduction to Track 12 (which is actually found about 50 seconds into this track). It has a heavier beat and scratching plus an amazing vocal which sounds like a 60s "This
is the BBC' presenter. the lyrics tell you, 'K is for kitten, I is for ice-cream, N is for night, O is for Owl, B is for Bus, E is for eurgh!'.

/ Track Twelve: Slip Into Something More Comfotable /

This is an extended instrumental version of track six and surprisingly is far more enjoyable than the vocal. It's a prefect end to the album although you may want to press that repeat button as by now you are probably so relaxed and daydreamy that you have forgotten you put a potato in the oven... Aaaarrrgggh! My potato!

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