Elixir – Interchill

I know I was in the minority, but I found the first Kaya Project album a bit basic, a bit rudimentary maybe. Luckily, Elixir is about as far-evolved from that as one could possibly imagine. Again, we’ve got the mix of electronic and live, but here it works much better. You’ve still got the earthy, organic feel, but here it’s more sophisticated, fluid, and absorbing – not to mention downright pleasing to the ear. From Mumbai has a wonderful live violin that gives the track great direction, while Good Morning London goes deep, with an amazing attention to detail in the production that makes the sounds come out the speakers and hug you. 65 Percent reminds me a fair bit of the Nada tracks on those LSD compilations in the way it unfolds. It’s one of the tracks where Seb is joined by his other half Natasha, and it’s bloody perfect, it unfolds in the most beautiful way you could imagine… there’s suggestions of waterfalls and chillums-on-beaches, of trees waving in the breeze, that sort of isn’t-nature-amazing feeling you get when the sun’s out and you just got laid. Dark Tabla and Salaam raise the tempo a shade, the latter really launching into a cinematic bazaar sound, perhaps shading into the territory of too-much-world, not-enough-music but it hangs together nicely. Raag to Ragga was on the recent Dissolving Clouds compilation and, much as I hate to say it, but it’s one of the weaker tracks here and disrupts the flow; as much is evident when title track Elixir comes in, a mature and varied tapestry of organic sounds, tied together by some sort of magic carpet, exemplifying what’s best about this act. Harem Bizarre is a quality fusion of dub and eastern organic instruments, less flair than yer Gaudi but with plenty of spirit and energy to drive it along; One God Dub works better. The Flow is just a dream, we’re back on that deserted beach once again with the missus doing rude things to you while a bloke that looks like oddjob is bringing you drinks with little umbrellas in them. And finally, Pachamana draws things to a close with (decent) live guitar, (decent) flute and (decent) live drumming. You can’t argue with the quality of this album: it starts out tight and focussed, and barring a couple of meanders it stays right on track. We can let slide the odd self-indulgent moment – Elixir is an incredibly good example of the ethnic side of chillout, and one that continues to cement Interchill’s name as top of the after-hours heap.