Mylab Album Review

Billboard Magazine 2/4/04 You can read it on Billboard's website or below. Seattle is the home base for Tucker Martine and Wayne Horvitz, the genre-crunching duo which constitutes Mylab. Their self-titled debut album will defy anyone who feels the need to pigeon-hole music. As much electronica as it is jazz, as much soundscape as it is electronica, "Mylab" features compositions that incorporate elements of trip-hop; rock; mainstream, avant and fusion jazz; Afrobeat; lounge; and Malian traditional song. That's a dizzying palette, but it doesn't lead to stylistic gridlock. Each track is an intriguing musical world unto itself. Chill and listen. Martine and Horvitz are joined by a great array of players—Danny Barnes, Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang, Sherik, Bobby Previte—who provide the nuance and groove that flesh out these original compositions. This is a brilliantly conceived and superbly produced debut album that indicates Martine and Horvitz's musical future will be a major thrill.—PVV