"and we're puttin' it on wax!"
This week is finally drawing to a close, and for various reasons I feel a need to finish up with a bit of cinematic flair. Perfect for this is the soundtrack-in-the-making of Wax Tailor and his full-length record Tales of the Forgotten Melodies - the album has been out in his native France for a minute now and was quite popular there, and now indie hip-hop stalwart Decon is releasing it here in the US in two weeks time.
Wax Tailor, is JC Le Saoût, and he has been making beats, rapping, and producing music since the early 90s, back when he was part of the group La Formule. In his current musical incarnation, he has taken beat digging, and vocal-sample-hunting to a whole new level with Forgotten Melodies. Every single track pairs recognizable samples (ie: the Doris Day version of "Whatever Will Be"), with dozens of other samples that are less recognizable, but familair (and still more that totally foreign to me), including people talking and having people carry on virtual conversations - this is the point of the record, as he says it was "conceived as an orchestral movie."
It is totally solid stuff, and very much what I'd consider head-nodding goodness, taking points from DJ Shadow, RJD2, Avalanches and Portishead, wherein beats + strings + vocal samples = moody, mostly instrumental music with a kick. There are a handful of guests on the record, with a few tracks featuring raps by The Others, a track with the vocals of Charlotte Savary, and great cello by Marina Quaisse.
The record comes out on May 30th, so you can pre-order Tales of the Forgotten Melodies from Amazon or Insound. Be sure to check out his website for song samples, a handful of videos, and other info. Also hit his Myspace page for more goodies.
Have a good weekend!