All you Kruder & Dorfmeister fiends, take heed: Some new shit has arrived from those illustrious Austrians. But don’t get too worked up — this isn’t exactly new new. These are remixes by Tosca, who are represented by the “D” in K&D (Richard Dorfmeister), along with longtime musical collaborator Rupert Huber. If you’re into K&D, you probably already know about Tosca — lazy, luxurious music that’s remarkably similar (if a little less congested) than K&D, emphasizing warm, atmospheric arrangements and midtempo head-nodding beats. The slight differences to Tosca come from Huber, a classically trained musician and childhood pal of Dorfmeister’s, who provides strange vocal loops and environmental samples.
The Different Tastes of Honey is the newer of the two releases, containing fifteen different reinterpretations of the song “Honey” from Suzuki (1999) (which was actually one of the weaker songs from that album, so go figure). Honey features a slew of wildly varied “dubs” ranging from the brash Markus Kienzl dub, through the twinkly broken-beat vibe of the Funky Lowlives, to the sunny, breezy element of the Azoia dub. At times the only thing linking the tracks are breathy female vocals waxing about wanting her “money, honey” — and honestly, the release would be better served to have gone without them. Suzuki in Dub is composed of ten remixes of five songs from the original album, and features the work of some underground funk, dub, and jazz enthusiasts, including Burnt Friedman, Austrian duo dZihan & Kamien, and the UK’s Baby Mammoth.
If you dig on the hazy cinematic sounds of Tosca, then by all means, pick these bitches up. Just don’t go in expecting the sonic equivalent of Humboldt County’s knock-you-on-your-ass herb. This is more like mid-level homegrown that’ll suffice till the next batch of “tha bomb chronic” rolls in.
