Review Summary: The jazz-electronica band Rendezvous has caught my fancy. Their songs keep me on my toes while making me feel at home. If you are a fan of jazz or electronica (or both!), Rendezvous is a band you might want to listen to.
I’ve heard electronica before and, although I’m not much of a fan, there are occasional bands that strike my fancy. Chemical Brothers is a popular pick for this genre, and so is Sneaker Pimps, a more trip-hop band. But listening to the electro-jazz band Rendezvous left me at a loss for words – that is, until I had to write this review.
You see, I didn’t expect an electronica band to have live tracks of analog music equipment in their tracks. That’s anti-electronica by definition! But for some reason, Rendezvous was able to pull it off. In fact, I think they found something that might soon become a popular trend among electronica circles.
Rendezvous’ first song, “Incognito”, has a melancholic saxophone refrain with a restrained background beat. The jazz melody played on top of an obvious electronica rhythm provided a tasteful contrast and kept the song interesting, veering it away from becoming just another electronica or jazz song.
At first, I totally misjudged “No Man’s Land”. It seemed too experimental to me in the beginning, because of its gradual buildup. But the song soon revealed itself, and the beat soon had me tapping my feet in response. It reminded me of jazz clubs I used to go to, with almost a free-form saxophone track. However, I know better than to say the entire song was improvised, because both sax and keyboard tracks always corresponded to each other, belting out the same notes on cue.
“So What” also had an interesting mellow start, almost as if it wanted to build up enough suspense for the all-out ending. If I were hosting a party, I would want more songs like Rendezvous’ wafting through my speakers. They would set the mood quite nicely. The three-song collection made me feel at home but on my toes.
Although all three songs differed in terms of mood, it seems they carry an unmistakable similarity, signifying that the band has found its identity and knows exactly what kind of tracks to make.
Flavor-wise, Rendezvous’ songs were a combination of self-possessed electronica and psychedelic sixties-style jazz. In other words, the tracks might appeal to both old and young. One thing’s for sure: they certainly made their mark on me.
If you want to check out the songs, they may be downloaded free from the band's official site: www.rendezvousmusic.co.uk.
