With Atlantic Oscillations, Will "Quantic" Holland delivers his first album since 2014. It reflects the various influences of his migration to Brooklyn, N.Y. from the U.K. in 2015. Cut and mixed at his newly constructed Selva studio, the cast is split between longtime collaborators -- vocalists Alice Russell and Nidia Gongora, percussionist Freddy Colorado -- and newer friends including New York-based vocalist Denitia, saxophonist Sly5thAve, string players Juliette Jones and Adriana Molello, and many others. It marks a return to the funky grooves first articulated by Quantic Soul Orchestra with a couple of global twists that channel the spirits of the five boroughs and Holland's long sojourns in Colombia, Cuba, and Jamaica. Quantic, in typical fashion, is all over the place. He plays bass, guitars, marimba, synths, and even sings (if you can call it that) on a pair of tracks.
The set generally follows a formula that alternates between instrumentals and vocal cuts -- at least until the final third. Opener "Divergence" is a perfect illustration of what's to come with its smooth, droning synth and luscious string intro that give way to a bright, crackling snare beat before opening into a glorious instrumental soul jam complete with Carlos Sanchez's breaks, Curtis Mayfield-esque guitars, and a popping bassline. On "Incendium," the band is led by Holland's synth, Paul Wilson's electric piano, and a Motorik disco beat provided by Sanchez. It would have been a highlight if it weren't for Holland's wispy, off-key, monotone vocals. The electro-acoustic disco on "September Blues," with sampled backing chorus, loops, wah-wah guitar vamps, strings, organic breaks, and jazzy piano and flute interludes provides one of the best tracks on the set, rivaled only by the Afro-Colombian grooves in "La Reflexion" just before the close (driven by a killer distorted kalimba riff from Wild Belle's Elliott Bergman). The non-Quantic vocal jams are introduced by the sultry, nocturnal house soul of "You Used to Love Me," with Denitia. The smoky interplay between her voice, Quantic's synths, and Wilson's organ frame a brittle beat, courtesy of drummer Joe Blaxx and conguero Kofi Hunter. Likewise, Russell's appearance on the swollen, string-laden orchestral soul of "Now or Never," punctuated by stinging electric guitars and a deep register bassline, is killer. "Tierra Mama," with Afro-Colombian singer Gongora, seamlessly melds cumbia, West African Juju, dub, and funk, and is the set's finest moment as strings and flute flit in and around the singer and the rhythm section. The set's title track and first single is another stellar dancefloor groover, offering a perfect rhythmic and harmonic balance of funky bass, vamping electric guitar, Latin piano, disco breaks, bright strings, and a popcorn synth. "Orqueidea," with Sly5thAve on saxophone, melds Afro-Latin jazz, rhumba, and shimmering soul. Atlantic Oscillations is an excellent illustration of Quantic's various musical passions and sources at work. It is original, edifying, urban music of his own design.