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IN FULL COLOR
by John Beltran
(CD,
Ubiquity Records)
Review by Tim O'Neil
Ubiquity presents an almost faultless blueprint for success for any up-and-coming independent music label to follow. Having established an impeccable backlist of veteran artists over the past eleven years, they have subsequently turned their attention to cementing their gains and reinforcing their unique identity in a crowded marketplace. Ubiquity releases have a refreshingly low-key vibe, uncompromisingly reflecting a non-commercial and authoritatively knowledgeable aesthetic. The money-back guarantee on every release only reinforces this friendly-neighborhood vibe – music made for music fans by music fans.
John Beltran is one of the best examples of Ubiquity’s unique appeal. There’s a surprisingly large body of work worldwide devoted to exploiting the connections between European electronic music and the Brazilian sound of the samba. Beltran has roots planted firmly in the worlds of both Latin and house music, and therefore his music reflects the kind of conscientiously eclectic worldview on which Ubiquity thrives.
In Full Color is his sixth album, and appropriately it is also a return to some of his earliest electronic work. There’s even a surprisingly deft detour into hip-hop. But the album never strays far from the irresistibly compulsive syncopated rhythms of the conga drum. It would almost be tempting to say that
In Full Color was merely more of what we have always seen from Beltran – if that wasn’t such a delightfully catchy status quo.
Beltran is a musician’s musician, having built a respectable career quietly mining the synergy between disparate musical traditions in order to create something entirely new – a true “world” musician.
In Full Color is simply a great album, and represents either a perfect introduction to the world of Brazilian house or a happy reminder of the genre’s irresistible appeal. It’s a perfect example of why Ubiquity is one of the best, most diverse and most gleefully underrated independent labels today.
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