Colin Jones - Dancebook Vol Ii
Written by Ian Anderson ///
Where does Colin Jones get off on being so Goddamn talented? This fucking guy, looking all serious with his homeless-ass beard like a hipster-ascetic biding his time under some withered tree, awaiting the arrival of a mystical snake to teach him the long forgotten ways of Electroarts… who died & gave him all this giant fucking magnetic talent?!?
We’re talking about a fellow who croons like Mike Patton but can rap as fast as Busdriver over beats more in common with early house & New Order than with Hip-Hop. His low-fidelity synths & drum machine buzzes that click & drip over tracks seem to be a constant in the equation, whereas it’s Jones’ vocal calisthenics that create a variable. Ranging from untamed screaming falsetto to nonchalant rhyme saying, the audible rollercoaster is one hell of a ride. Lyrically, he remains consistent with prevalent themes of partying & being broke; the latter acknowledged most pervasively by rhyming his own name with the phrase “payday loans”. However, it’s the nonchalance of talent that is the most magnetic part of everything Colin Jones. Even though it’s obvious he knows his shit, it never-EVER comes across as pretentious or modeled. He could be the musical cousin of LCD Soundsystem, but comparisons don’t do very much good in his case.
While fresh & easy, he never comes across as dumbed-down or cliché; at no point when listening to Jones can you tell what is going to come next. I mean…his myspace page has pictures of his nephew opening Christmas presents for fuck’s sake!
With his solo project being the jump-off point of his personal assent, he is also half of Portland’s hip-hop duo Brokaw & has tracks featured on numerous compilations. Jones dropped me off a prototype of his new album “Dancebook Vol.II”, and let me tell you now… that this shit is banging! The “Dancebook Vol. II” has an April 2nd release date. Also catch Colin Jones DJing at the Snap’s “90’s Night”.
