Although you can consider Reverberations as Nevaris’ debut album, in the sense that it is the first to bear his own name, it is the third collaboration between him, Bill Laswell, and a number of the musicians found here—the perfect position to offer something both familiar and fresh. And if the familiarity is provided by this sonic gang’s ability to bring the best out of each other, the freshness comes from the dub-infused path along which they drive their music.
At the heart is Nevaris’s sonic influences – European and Mexican – his generational roots in the East and West coasts and his love of afro-beat, Latin, funk, and dub music. By the time everyone else finds where they fit into the mix and makes themselves comfortable, you have something exceptional.
A series of dub-heavy, funky instrumentals, songs are driven along on Latin grooves and psychedelic swirls of organ, full-on brass attacks and sassy sax solos, sun-drenched vibes, and sonics that capture the hustle and bustle of the city he calls home, New York City.
Although not a concept album, it is one designed to be listened to as a whole, in one sitting, all the better to appreciate its shifting moods and genre-hopping ways, its elegance and eclecticism, its flair and adventure.
Reverberations is the sound of seasoned musicians and old friends pushing each other to go further, music being made away from the pressures of fad or fashion or prying record company eyes. It is the sound of music being made for all the right reasons. Friendship, sonic adventure, and the joy of pure creativity. And that is a rare thing these days.
Interference
Dub Sol
Spotify
Apple Music
