Pavlov Scope

Caia’s release The Magic Dragon is another recent acquisition of mine that I can’t believe I missed when it was first released in April 2003. This downtempo album is made by Maiku Takahashi with Andy Cato (Andy is better known as one-half of Groove Armada). But, Caia is a lot less “commercial” sounding and more laid back than GA. This is an excellent, very solid throughout, release from the excellent Guidance label.

Maiku Takahashi and Andy show that they are a great combination with skills in both beat construction and atmospherics on The Magic Dragon. This trip-hop album is full of quality composition and, probably thanks to Andy’s experience, does not sound like a debut release in that it seems well formed and mature. The Rose Room starts out the album with a breakbeat tune to set the tone. Second track (Remembrance) is much more ambient without any heavy percussion, almost like a more uptempo Deep Forest track with a whimsical chanting carrying the song forward.

The third track (The Love Room) brings back some big breakbeat live-sounding drums, very phat, funk oriented basslines, and more atmospheric sampling that makes this a very fun driving song ;-) Fourth song brings it back down to lower key, with more eastern chants, rhythmic wave samples that match the back-and-forth eastern percussion sounds. La Telecabine lightens the mood with a much more “airy” feeling track that is like a soft house track with a very bright feeling in general, bringing to mind a crisp summer morning.

Mr. Gone (track 6) shifts gears once again with a loping bassline and guitar sample, more funky drumming, and a great 303 effect to add electronic flavor to the track that was missing (i.e. if Mr. Oizo did downtempo funk/hop, this is what it would sound like).

Whose Blues? drops you into the song as if you were walking into a room where it was playing (like you entered the middle of a song)... you are brought into the song as if you are walking toward it down a hallway. Its Miles-esque trumpet sounds over the top of a mellow, but funky breakbeat and moog line throw you into a Digable Planets sampledelic mood immediately – especially with its “Those were the days” vocal sample. Heavy Weather (8) has the same flavor as La Telecabine in that it is a more atmospheric track, but it is mixing together some of all the elements of this album as a whole: Heavily processed vocal samples, airy synth line, bongo percussion, etc. that when thrown together creates an interesting mix of organic electronic music. Heavy Weather changes gears nicely inside the song and in it I can sense the Groove Armada influence.

If you close your eyes during Jericho (track 10), you’ll swear you are hearing a new Nightmares on Wax track – awash in synths, echoing vocal samples, the mild melodic hook that introduces you into a funky, loping bassline should make any steadfast trip hop fan happy. This is track is full of smoky room ambience.

The last song is named exactly right for its location on the album: Afterwards @ The Bar gives you the feeling that they are “rolling the credits,” wrapping up the preceding tracks as if you are reflecting on what you just listened to while hanging out in a loungey, after-hours bar – winding down. Hustle-and-bustle sounds give the impression of a crowd of people around you, tinkling high notes sound like martini glasses clinking, and the piano man is tickling the ivories in broken melodies to pass the time, finishing off that “Play it again, Sam” feeling (yes, I know that is a misquote, but hell – if Woody Allen can name a movie after the incorrect version of the quote, I’ll use it here).

Something that shouldn’t be overlooked with this release is the extremely cool cover art; it is a joy to study while listening. Created by Rob Coke @ TwelveTen design, it has a three-dimensional feel by using alternating textures and finishes. Just very well done and the lost art of cover art is not “lost” on Rob. The cover of this disc makes me wish that vinyl was still the norm because I’d like to see it big enough to frame.

The Magic Dragon has a familiar mix of live instrumentation with electronic arrangements and any fan of trip hop should give this release a shot. I can’t wait for more from this duo.

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