Quantic
Best Of
From a remarkably youthful beginning, Will Holland has been startlingly omnivorous in his musical tastes. Operating as Quantic, his talents as a producer, multi-instrumentalist, tunesmith and all-round maven have produced a hugely impressive body of work. Now, after a decade’s output for the Tru Thoughts label, it’s time to celebrate that accomplishment.
This mammoth retrospective fills both of its discs to their 70-something-minutes maximum, and there certainly aren’t any patchy stretches. The one thing that spans all of Quantic’s changeling spread is his attention to the bouncing beat, a lever for all that transpires in the name of his soul, funk, dub and Latin adventures.
From Bewdley to Cali, where Holland moved in 2007, it doesn’t seem to matter from where the Quantic pulsation emanates. The Colombian phase of recent years has plunged his music into a deeply Latin state, although the current Combo Bárbaro outfit has developed outwards from its cumbia/folkloric roots, becoming something of a pan-Latin funk machine. The first project to emerge out of this time was Flowering Inferno, Quantic’s dub-Latin crew. Before this he was primarily known for leading The Quantic Soul Orchestra, a completely different entity, dedicated to retro-soul sounds. This was where singer Alice Russell made her reputation, with Holland being prescient in terms of a dedicated re-awakening of this authentic band formation.
All of the above manifestations are well represented here, along with the original Quantic-as-dancefloor-producer beginnings, from the turn of the last decade. There are even a few odd-tracks-out, which is quite an achievement given the Quantic range. There are productions for singers Kinny and Spanky Wilson, as well as The Limp Twins, his atypical banner for the stylistic gliding that evokes an imaginary wan-voiced meeting between Marvin Gaye and Arthur Russell.
Quantic’s Cumbia Clash features lumbering sub-bass with parping electro-flute, Alice Russell releases some perfectly piercing soul screams during Pushin’ On, and the Latin side was already evident on Sabor, recorded very soon after arriving in Cali. Other oddities are Sol Clap, which makes a foray into the Balkans, and Perception, which offers a taste of drum’n’bass: winners, all. Quantic has no need to touch down in any particular land: his style is always grounded, even if its fine details are flitting around.
Tracklist
CD 1
01. Quantic - Time Is The Enemy
02. Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno - Cuidad Del Swing
03. Spanky Wilson And The Quantic Soul Orchestra - I’m Thankful (Part1)
04. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - The Dreaming Mind (Part1)
05. Quantic Y Conjunto - Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)
06. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - Linda Morena
07. The Limp Twins - Sunday Driver
08. Quantic - Absence Heard, Presence Felt
09. Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno - Dog With A Rope
10. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - Wandering Star
11. Kinny - Enough Said Feat.The Quantic Soul Orchestra
12. Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno - Echate Pa'lla (Version)
13. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Who Knows Feat. Kabir.
14. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - New Morning (Slow Version)
15. Quantic - Cumbia Clash #
16. The Quantic Soul Orchestra Feat. Alice Russell - Left And Right #CD 2
01. Quantic And Nickodemus Feat. Tempo & The Candela All-Stars - Mi Swing Es Tropical
02. Quantic - Transatlantic
03. Quantic - Life In The Rain
04. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Pushin’ On Feat. Alice Russell
05. Quantic - Don't Joke With A Hungry Man Feat. Spanky Wilson
06. Quantic - Search The Heavens Feat. Alice Russell
07. Quantic - Sabor Feat.Tempo
08. Quantic - Not So Blue
09. Quantic - Sol Clap #
10. Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno - Death Of The Revolution
11. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Hold It Down
12. Alice Russell - Somebody’s Gonna Love You Feat. Quantic
13. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - Enyere Kumbara
14. The Limp Twins - Elemental
15. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Super 8 (Part1)
16. Quantic - PerceptionVINYL **This 2LP version also includes the full double CD version free of charge!**
A1. Quantic - Time Is The Enemy
A2. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - Wandering Star
A3. Kinny - Enough Said Feat.The Quantic Soul Orchestra
A4. Quantic Presenta Flowering Inferno - Echate Pa'lla (Version)
B1. Quantic Y Conjunto - Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight)
B2. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - New Morning (Slow Version)
B3. Quantic And Nickodemus Feat. Tempo & The Candela All-Stars - Mi Swing Es Tropical
B4. Quantic - Transatlantic
C1. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Pushin’ On Feat. Alice Russell
C2. Quantic - Don't Joke With A Hungry Man Feat.Spanky Wilson
C3. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Hold It Down
C4. The Quantic Soul Orchestra - Super 8 (Part1)
D1. Quantic - Life In The Rain
D2. Quantic And His Combo Barbaro - Enyere Kumbara
D3. Quantic - Cumbia Clash
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