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Artist: Band: Jondi and Spesh
Album: Music By Jondi And Spesh, Vol. 2
CD Review: San Francisco duo Jondi and Spesh serve up many short groove-based pieces on this CD. Some of them are their own; some are other artists whom they have produced. Using synths, samples, wordless vocals, electronic percussion and a variety of other timbres, J&S create a sound that could fit just as easily in a club as on a movie soundtrack.

If techno isn't your thing, you might as well stop right here, but if it is, you will probably find Jondi & Spesh both remarkably subtle and energetic. While their songs all basically do the same thing, there are enough twists to keep it interesting, such as the turntables on "Mesmer's Revenge" and the hypnotic, slow groove of "Astrofunk."

The short format sometimes doesn't seem to work as well as some longer, more developed techno pieces I've heard. I don't purport to be any expert on techno, but my favorites are the ones that evolve and change subtly over a long period of time. Perhaps a greater sense of form and composition and perhaps a study of producers of other genres could help Jondi and Spesh take their music to the next level.

Overall I enjoyed this CD; the dark energy is infectious. Jondi and Spesh have the hardware, but communication is their number one concern.

For more information about Jondi and Spesh and related acts, visit www.looq.com or email info@looq.com.