
Michael Baumann, aka Soulphiction is back again with his signature style of sparsely arranged, loopy-but-deep, warm and in its own unreal way, very organic house music. As on his previous album, State of Euphoria, Baumann employs the vocal talent of jazz chanteuse Suzana Rozkosny but the outcome is nowhere near the sound of "Used" or "Love Thang". It's actually very ambient. Soulphiction's deep Detroit influences come through all the same. With dance music you ultimately have to ask yourself one question: down it like a shot or sip it slow?
Track Listing:
Chevy Estate (feat. Suzana Rozkosny)
Ghana Wadada (feat. Phlegmatic)
Velveteens
Touch From the Past
Cargo
Soul Print
Sun Children
Prison Song (feat. Marcin Öz)
Reclap
Dark Berry
Reminisce All Over You
Whizzdom and Understanding
I Just Wait
So What
As a sophomore effort for Soulphiction, Do You Over Overstand?! explores a matured character and I'm not sure if I like it less than State of Euphoria, as it explores dance music from a far more intimate perspective. At the same time, I don't know if I'll like it more as the maturity settles into a fine, smooth elixir. No matter how you feel about it you can't deny that Michael Baumann reached down into his music this time for something familiar that we haven't heard before. He was looking for something more profound, more revolutionary, evolutionary, experimental. A deeper deep.
Influences of soul and jazz remain a strong factor, both a confining and focusing agent for the repetition of Soulphiction's Detroit and unavoidably minimal house foundations. Where vocal performances left a strong imprint on State of Euphoria, here, they are contained to the style of vocal samples, and soft whispery lullabies.
In answer to that ultimate question, I can only say: This music isn't meant to be consumed like a shot of some cheap-but-potent liquor. This is slow sipping work here. Take it in slowly and appreciate the complexity because otherwise you're just wasting your money.