From the stunning vistas of Lausanne, Switzerland comes Alex Attias, debuting “Back Home”, the first full-length project under the Mustang moniker. Like the multi-cultural haven Lausanne, Attias blends musical influences ranging from classical to hip-hop, into a mosaic soundscape.http://erclk.about.com/?zi=1/Yh%5bphttp://erclk.about.com/?zi=1/Yh%5d Attias began his musical career as a DJ in Switzerland. He moved into producing his own sounds in the mid-90s and soon thereafter started the drum-and-bass outfit Bel-Air Project. He relocated to London and formed collaborations as Beatless with Paul Martin and Plutonia with Dego. He also started his own Freedom Sounds project and launched the Visions record label. As Mustang, he’s remixed 4 Hero and appeared on the Sun-Ra Dedication album from the Kindred Spirits label, with an acclaimed interpretation of “Nuclear War”.
For “Back Home” Attias reaches deep into his cadre of rhythms and melodies to create progressive genre combinations. “Future Jazz” shows an intermarriage between hip-hop and classical music with Del Halvani dropping rhymes alongside operatic vocals over tympanis and strings. “Help Me” features soul singer Colonel Red with a bluesy guitar line and light synthesized drums, invoking thoughts of Bill Withers doing a “nujazz” tune.
Attias uses tympanis and other classical percussion on “Back Home” to create a dramatic urgency which the gives the CD an overall soundtrack effect. “Back Home” could easily serve as the theme music to an Eastern European espionage film. “Closer to Me” and “Confusion” both bring to mind a chase scene through the darkened streets of Prague. While the funky groove of “Finding Who We Are” conjures images of meeting a mysterious stranger in a swanky café.
“Back Home” represents the complex, progressive and highly attuned nature of Attias’ musical mind. It’s a multi-faceted journey guaranteed to challenge, enlighten and entertain.
