"The cross roads where I was living at was 8 Mile and Moenart in Detroit"
One of our artist of the year 2012, Terrel Wallace a.k.a. Tall Black Guy sure seems committed to stay a top of that list. We've had his album
"8 miles to Moenart" spinning in our headphones for almost a week now and it won't let go. Last year he hosted Bastard Jazz's compilation
Tempo Dreams exploring new beatmakers worldwide. Among others Brussel's own Monkey Robot featured in our
Beat Generation interview Series #4.
Based on that compilation and of course his earlier reworks expectations were high. Here's our track-by-track review of the album:
1.You Look Like A Tall Black Guy Intro 01:16
This intro was sent out as a first taster to the album and features a clip from the old Cosby (!) show cutting up the quote "Just because a guy is tall and black doesn't mean he's good at playing basketball". Ace instrumental, would wouldn't mind hearing a full track of that.
2.The Dark Streets 06:31
The hi-hats. The groove that sneaks up on you about a minute and a half in. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised by the electronic influences but I am. Regulars know we're suckers for the whole slo-mo-house but we didn't expect TBG to deliver the next banger on that playlist. Up there with classic nightbus slo-mo-tracks like
Seiji's "I can't let go" and DJ SIS more recent rework of
Luniz "I got 5 on it".
3.Funeral Biz / Welcome To Detroit Interlude 04:21
Three tracks deep and here's the next surprise: Remember LTJ Bukem's Earth series? Man, I used to love what his label Good Looking put out in the mid-nineties. Here's a 2K13 take on that sound from TBG. Organic, chords and a laid-back groove to make ya' head nod.
4.From Home To Work, And Back... 02:53
It's got that Slum Village vibe like a forgotten B-side to The look of love. Dope!
5.Mon Amie De'Troit (ft. Ozay Moore) 04:22
First single off the album and a love/hate narrative about his hometown. Featuring smooth low-key vocals by Ozay Moore (formerly known as Othello of hip hop crew Lightheaded).
6.The Motor Is Running 05:50
Is where we wish Timbaland would take his sound in 2013. Interstellar track to make your mind wander.
7.There's No More Soul (ft Diggs Duke) 04:00
Beautiful soundtrack to those late night driving downtown. I imagine Detroit cabbies keeping their occupied signal on to keep grooving to this.
8.Rain Into The Nite - Outro 08:12
Two part track finishing up the album. The outro part might be one of our favorite instrumental grooves so far this year. It's got the broken beat, the vocoder, the chords - simply put a beautiful end to a sublime album.
9.Floating (Hidden track) 5.03
If this hidden bonus track is supposed to give a taster of what's to come from the TBG-studios over the year, we won't be disappointed. Another slow late night groove that would fit nicely on Dwele's next album. In fact, all of these instrumental songs tell a story. It would be very interesting to see what would happen if Terrel invited say Dwele, Hawk House, Rogiers and Miles Bonny to the studio to take it to the next level...
In summary:
All in all, in a fast-paced-what's-next-kind-of-world,
"8 miles to Moenart" is a keeper. It's that hidden green back yard garden you sometimes stumble upon walking through a metropolitan area. Sit down, take a breather, take a sip of your favorite beverage and kick back with Tall Black Guy.
Available now via
First Word Records &
Spotify
