Album Reviews

That’s how they spell “hippie” in the UK, I guess, so don’t blame me. Sherwood is a well-respected re-mix artist who’s spent the past twenty years re-mixing or producing the work of others. This danceable double LP, saturated with rhythmic collages, melds dub-style reggae, old school Jamaican “toasting,” Pakistani Qawwal, and a potpouri of other world musical paraphernailia—heavily spiced with sound effects and musique concrete—into a delicious and nutritious sonic stew.

This is not what one normally considers “audiophile fare,” but the label is convinced that between club DJs, every day LP enthusiasts, and audiophiles looking for that really deep groove, there’s a market for this—especially since sonic fireworks of all sorts abound above and below.

This is not a mix of pre-recorded samples, as most, if not all of it has been specifically recorded for the album, including guest appearances by the rhythmic heavyweights Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare among the dozen or so musicians who play acoustic, electric and synthesized instruments.

If your system can plumb the depths, and play loud, the superb recording quality and Sherwood’s mixes provide some of the most sensuous ear candy imaginable. The percussive tracks are particularly well recorded, and Sherwood’s touch with the high frequency EQ is measured and tasteful. There’s nothing bright, etched and bleached. The top end is actually sweet. For the most part, these tracks are grooves rather than conventional songs, but the skillful arrangements give them graceful symmetry and you never get the sense you’re hearing a loop—especially since you never are… I don’t think.

The fireworks explode on a surprisingly deep and wide soundstage, so there’s plenty to “look at,” while you shake your booty, and judging by the size of some of the booties I saw at a recent hi-fi show, plenty of audiophile booties need shaking! Never Trust a Hippy is not for everyone but if you like what’s been described, this is about as craftily created and good sounding as the genre gets.