Solid As….Wood?: Wood Solid Dance Jam

Electronic artist De De Mouse wowed this year by crossing bright cartoony sounds with drum and bass. Wood Solid Dance Jam apply a similar strategy, but instead of electronic music they drizzle breakbeats over jazzy compositions. If Music Is Rotted one Note instantly came to mind, you know how this goes – WSDJ take a lot of cues from Squarepusher’s relaxed days. “Fog Street” almost gets too relaxed…the beat barely gets a chance to bust out, with smooth-jazz saxophone taking the lead for most of the track’s run. The band’s real winner comes on the drifting “Flowing Ray,” where breakbeats and jazz instrumentation intertwine harmoniously. It’s an urgent-but-relaxed five minutes, akin to rushing to the hospital to reattach a severed finger but admiring the beauty along the way. Jam out over here.