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NYC [Kieran Hebden/Steve Reid (Drums)]

Kieran Hebden/Steve Reid (Drums)
1 disc

1. Lyman Place
2. 1st & 1st
3. 25th Street
4. Arrival
5. Between B & C
6. Departure
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 212
Credits

Producer Kieran Hebden; Kieran Hebden
Engineer Roy Hendrickson
Personnel: Kieran Hebden (electronics); Steve Reid (drums).
Recording information: AVATAR Studio, NY (02/05/2008/02/06/2008).
Photographer: Koushik Ghosh.
On 2008's NYC, their fourth full-length outing together, U.K. electronica artist Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) and veteran jazz drummer Steve Reid offer up another hypnotic set based on samples and percussion. Drawing inspiration from Reid's former hometown, the duo evokes both the energy and the beauty of New York City with tracks ranging from the funky, fast-paced "1st and 1st" to the chiming "Arrival." While the material on NYC can be challenging to those unaccustomed to free-jazz-influenced music, the record is easily Hebden & Reid's most focused and melodic album, and stands as a notable work in the catalogues of both performers.
Critic Reviews

Spin (p.88) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Harnessing acid-rock bass, analog squiggles, and what sounds like a drum showroom's worth of percussion, these New York odes jump from ON THE CORNER funk to the cosmic maelstrom of the Boredoms."
The Wire (p.60) - "Hebden lays down a sampled riff, Reid hacks out an undeviating 4/4 rhythmic path and Hebden embellishes with further electrickery."
JazzTimes (p.74) - "[T]hey create grooves almost out of nothing. One chord and a driving beat is all they need, and they're off."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Hebden's soundscapes over six suites frame Reid's great drumming and percussion work to create an album that's resonant with life and cultural influence."
Signal To Noise (magazine) (p.59) - "NYC is an excellent introduction to the unfashionably joyous avant-funk these musical bedfellows create with great consistency."