MOG

Sometimes writing a cogent review about an electronica artist's first LP is akin to explaining how an airplane flies while sitting inside it, mid flight: you can see that the results work but you can't stand on the wings to observe the physical flow of air that keeps the heavy vehicle aloft. Cordovan's eponymous first set epitomizes said conundrum on wax. The LP opens with "Magma" which has crispy bass lines, buttery-ass Hammond B-3 bubbling and found sounds thrown in to taste. Later, cuts like "Skinny Girl" and "Black Rock Dub" will make the listener sit up and recognize the skills on deck. Cordovan's experimental tendancies serve as the Bernouli's Principle which lifts the multi-layered heft above other status quo musings with forces unseen but felt. There's one point where the keyboards are used like a didgeridoo ("Lacuna II") and loose breakbeats are infused throughout the CD ( if you've ever witnessed a DJ attempting this live, you're aware that sometime it works and sometimes it just doesn't). Cordovan hasn't re-invented the wheel on this one but he does have hella potential. This LP helped get him into the big boys' room -- it remains to be seen whether he has minerals to remain inside.