This is the second Shadow release by Goo, a European turntablist who also runs his own label, Synchrovision, out of Switzerland. As with his previous effort, the mood is dark and funky, slightly downtempo but never afraid to kick things up a notch when the spirit directs. One might not normally associate Switzerland with experimental hip-hop, but after listening to
Elements you'd swear there was a thriving scene. Goo has certainly absorbed a ton of influences somewhere along the way -- on "Bomboclat Elements" he draws on jungle, reggae, and jazz to produce a piece of atmospheric and dub-inflected funk; "The Greatest" (here in a version remixed by
DJ Cam) is a breakbeat tribute to Muhammed Ali; "Amour Bleu" takes lazy, jazzy beats and marries them to a ragbag of samples and virtuosic turntablism. The end result is a constantly fascinating album that dances lightly on the boundaries between acid jazz, breakbeat funk, and abstraction. Highly recommended.