D7005 - Anomalie: Velours b/w Crescent
This one is something a little bit different for Devin’s 7s, but precisely why I run a label that’s not genre or era specific.
…I’ve never heard anything quite like Anomalie. It may exist, but I’m certainly not aware of it. He’s an immensely talented keyboardist and composer, and to that end, sure- you can point to a handful of other keyboardists and composers that we all know and love that are incredible soloists and amazing at production and and composition and also work from home and whose reels and videos we have saved innumerable times across all platforms. While outstanding at what they do, and not implying that their work is in any way pedestrian, boring, or tiresome… They tend to stay in the lane that they’ve carved out. They do it well, and we love it.
Anomalie, on the other hand, tends to be a bit unpredictable to that end. Let’s take a look at these two tracks here.
Velours blew my mind the first time I heard it. It starts off with an ambience almost reminiscent of something downtempo I’d hear in the chill room at a rave in the early 90s here in the SF Bay Area, giving way to piano so smooth it’s almost easy listening. Normally used in the perjorative, I don’t mean it like that here. It’s just got a level of maturity and is so mellow that it almost feels like something I’d have made fun of when I was younger, although something else- something intriguing- is happening in the synth backing and then noodling over the smooth piano, and the beat is a bit too hard to make that snap judgement, and besides, it’s HELLA groovy. And while I can’t put my finger on it, there’s an edge to it. That noodling- it’s not doing too much. It’s understated in a way that makes me feel like he’s actually holding back. It’s just the right amount of flexing. It’s skillful, impressive, and comfortable. Then, after a spacious and expanding breakdown this track gets downright FUNKY, with a fat, catchy bassline, scratching an itch that I didn’t even know I had. As a package, it’s a whole vibe that I’m pretty sure didn’t even exist before but now can’t really live without, and I’m not alone. I’m consistently surprised when bringing Anomalie up in conversations with other music heads- even ones that have kind of pigeonholed themselves in to one genre or another in their collecting or performing- from hip hop to Latin to soul to broken beat and on and on… the appreciation for his work goes beyond any expectations I’ve had for whatever “wheelhouse” they’re in, and that makes sense, because there’s nothing like it and it’s GOOD. Indeed, that sentiment has been echoed in my DMs since announcing this release. Djs from dancehall to cumbia to blaxploitation funk to boombap have hit me telling me they want this for their headstash.
When I contacted Anomalie’s management to tell them I wanted to put out this record, and they contacted him to see if he was open to it, they asked what I’d want to put on the flip, and I thought it would be fun to let him decide (if he was in fact open to it). He was open to both of those things, and he chose Crescent. This track seamlessly transitions from the signature perfectly executed and understated yet highly skilled Anomalie noodling that draws from his extensive jazz and classical training to something I can only call “sunny day house” to downright boogie funk and back again in such a compelling way that he’s constantly reminding us he’s fully capable of, alternating between loungey house groove to dancefloor banger.
Dude’s an alien. I don’t know what this is, but I love it, and I get the feeling he loves that.
And I bet you’ll love it too.
This one is something a little bit different for Devin’s 7s, but precisely why I run a label that’s not genre or era specific.
…I’ve never heard anything quite like Anomalie. It may exist, but I’m certainly not aware of it. He’s an immensely talented keyboardist and composer, and to that end, sure- you can point to a handful of other keyboardists and composers that we all know and love that are incredible soloists and amazing at production and and composition and also work from home and whose reels and videos we have saved innumerable times across all platforms. While outstanding at what they do, and not implying that their work is in any way pedestrian, boring, or tiresome… They tend to stay in the lane that they’ve carved out. They do it well, and we love it.
Anomalie, on the other hand, tends to be a bit unpredictable to that end. Let’s take a look at these two tracks here.
Velours blew my mind the first time I heard it. It starts off with an ambience almost reminiscent of something downtempo I’d hear in the chill room at a rave in the early 90s here in the SF Bay Area, giving way to piano so smooth it’s almost easy listening. Normally used in the perjorative, I don’t mean it like that here. It’s just got a level of maturity and is so mellow that it almost feels like something I’d have made fun of when I was younger, although something else- something intriguing- is happening in the synth backing and then noodling over the smooth piano, and the beat is a bit too hard to make that snap judgement, and besides, it’s HELLA groovy. And while I can’t put my finger on it, there’s an edge to it. That noodling- it’s not doing too much. It’s understated in a way that makes me feel like he’s actually holding back. It’s just the right amount of flexing. It’s skillful, impressive, and comfortable. Then, after a spacious and expanding breakdown this track gets downright FUNKY, with a fat, catchy bassline, scratching an itch that I didn’t even know I had. As a package, it’s a whole vibe that I’m pretty sure didn’t even exist before but now can’t really live without, and I’m not alone. I’m consistently surprised when bringing Anomalie up in conversations with other music heads- even ones that have kind of pigeonholed themselves in to one genre or another in their collecting or performing- from hip hop to Latin to soul to broken beat and on and on… the appreciation for his work goes beyond any expectations I’ve had for whatever “wheelhouse” they’re in, and that makes sense, because there’s nothing like it and it’s GOOD. Indeed, that sentiment has been echoed in my DMs since announcing this release. Djs from dancehall to cumbia to blaxploitation funk to boombap have hit me telling me they want this for their headstash.
When I contacted Anomalie’s management to tell them I wanted to put out this record, and they contacted him to see if he was open to it, they asked what I’d want to put on the flip, and I thought it would be fun to let him decide (if he was in fact open to it). He was open to both of those things, and he chose Crescent. This track seamlessly transitions from the signature perfectly executed and understated yet highly skilled Anomalie noodling that draws from his extensive jazz and classical training to something I can only call “sunny day house” to downright boogie funk and back again in such a compelling way that he’s constantly reminding us he’s fully capable of, alternating between loungey house groove to dancefloor banger.
Dude’s an alien. I don’t know what this is, but I love it, and I get the feeling he loves that.
And I bet you’ll love it too.