Kasmir - Onur Özer

The 20: November 2007

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Featured Review #06

Kasmir

Onur Özer [Vakant]

#06 in this month's The 20

Section: Music Recommendations Topics: The 20
Written by: Terry Church

The wonderful thing about globalization is that it has helped make the electronic music scene rich and vibrant.

Whilst different religions, cultures and countries clash on the political level, electronic music is allowing great bridges to form between different cultures, and it has exposed the notion that closing one’s borders to other ideas is a flawed one.

Onur Özer’s debut album ‘Kasmir’ proves that brilliant new things can come when we join philosophies together.

It’s no surprise then that he comes from Istanbul, the Turkish capital which sits on the gateway between Europe and Asia.

He combines lustful Arabesque rhythms that reek of the ancient Middle East, with unashamed jazzy undertones and modern minimal techno beats to create something entirely special and unique.

Top tracks ‘Innervoice’ and ‘Terpsichorean Echoes’ are built around a single percussive loop whilst basslines, drums and instruments move in and out of the mix in an improvised jazzy kind-of-way.

Ricardo Villalobos would play ‘Eclipse’, for its wacky jazzy piano lead is random and Onur Ozer keeps the mind and the dancefloor guessing by not dropping a kick drum loop for longer than a few seconds.

There’s a sparse moody glitchy minimal soundscape to be found on ‘Sahara’ which features a haunting Middle Eastern organ chord riff and tribal drum beats.

There’s driving tech house to be found on ‘Traumbone’ that is based on a very clever trombone sound that rears its funky head in the breakdown.

It’s completely at odds with the tribal South American percussion.

Onur Özer also delivers spacey explorative techno with ‘Astronomy Glance’, a sound that Swedish duo Minilogue are known for.

And relaxed organic bongos and jazzy sounds are to be found on ‘Sergalio’, which might well be a modern take on the Jungle Book soundtrack.

This is very mature electronic music that will encapsulate the mind more than the typical dancefloor, but for those DJs not afraid to explore an off-kilter path it will inspire and invigorate your body beyond a toe tap.

‘Kasmir’ is a thing of beauty.

Is this the soundtrack to the globalised electronic music world?