Throughout his earliest work, Albin Janoska has played his sound close to the Austrian soul. The same Austrian soul that guided the sounds of Kruder & Dorfmeister, as well as Dorfmeister's own highly acclaimed project Tosca. Besides working in a country with a tightly knit music community, Janoska himself has been closely related to the title of his debut full-length album, "Le Grand Baheux". While the song doesn't appear here, his earliest 12" single was for the song "Baheux". Still in Austria, with Baheux becoming Le Grand Baheux you might think little has changed, but over the years Albin's sound has matured, and it's something you want to hear.

1. Login
2. Blues For Malvin
3. Home
4. La Connection
5. Ruffcutz
6. PhoXao
7. All I Wanna Do
8. Masquerade
9. Bad City is Back
10. Stereo Funny
11. Viennese Mono
12. You & Me

Albin Janoska is a skilled musician and producer who has played keys with Madrid de Los Austrias, produced the album "Love & Light" by Count Basic (not to mention their earlier work), toured America with Groove Collective, remixed G-Stone's Rodney Hunter, Trilok Gurtu, and Klein Records' Sofa Surfers among others, and taken home the "Amadeus Academy Award 2007" for the song "All I Wanna Do", a prize of the Amadeus Austrian Music Award.

Throughout Le Grand Baheux you'll hear a menagerie of styles, but always the strongest influence is that of jazz which is in turn influenced by soul music. The female vocals (assuming there is only one voice at play) is that of Juci Janoska (pronounced as Yoot-see) and she puts on a phenomenal performance that is a perfect temper to Albin's instrumentation.

Each song introduces something new to the mix of sounds, be it triphop beats and vocal styling, house beats, soul vocals, glitched out sample styling, subdued pop, or somewhat menacing breakbeats. Despite the changes though, there's a unifying sound that keeps it all glued together. You'll still hear the Austrian influence at play but it's evolved well beyond the Kruder & Dorfmeister of years ago.

Instead of trying to point out the various strengths of each track, which would require more words than you probably have time for right now, take this away from this review: I've listened to this album at least two dozen times since it arrived, and I'm still diggin' all over it. Beautiful vocals, heartbreaking instrumentation (that will surprise you at times the first time you listen), tight beats, and so, so fresh...excellent work...you want it!

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