Chimp Beams are a dub trio out of Brooklyn, formed in 2001 by “track maker” Marihito, guitarist K-Go Mizutani, and multi-instrumentalist Yusuke Yamamoto. On Menina, tracks like “Sleep Talking” (featuring Jerome Loston) and “Synthesized” (featuring Roger Kahlon) incorporate hip-hop vocals that justify the comparisons to—and self-professed influence of—Massive Attack. But Chimp Beams don’t really make music-formerly-known-as-trip-hop. With vibraphone flourishes and melodica interludes (courtesy of Yamamoto), and a more blatantly Caribbean vibe than that practiced by their would-be counterparts in the U.K., the Beams serve up something a bit more languid, a bit less paranoid. That said, the sound has a certain frigidity to it that subverts any real warmth; the music sometimes feels untouched by human hands, which can relegate the whole CD to near New Age. But there’s something wily about making background music for which the word “chill” carries an almost sinister double meaning, and there’s no need for a band to innovate or enervate when it can insinuate so breathlessly. And there are some surprises here and there: “Brooklyn DUB” has a hint of prog-rock; “One DUB” syncopates madly, seeming to inspire dance while resisting such body tectonics with a resolutely slow tempo; “Synthesized” marries a sickly bass line to jazzy electric piano, with a wood-block-accented hip-hop flavor. You won’t likely ever break a sweat listening to Menina, but Chimps Beams still break ground (without making a big fuss out of it). [LW]
Chimp Beams: www.chimpbeams.com
Concent Productions, Inc.: www.concentny.com
