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Zeb
Stop the Earth, I Want to Get Off!
Wonderwheel Recordings
For long-time musician, Zeb (born Moreno Visini), music is a collective experience that can blend cultures, but it can also be something very individual. After experiencing commercial success as a guitarist with The Indians, a pop, hip-hop and dance band featured on several motion picture soundtracks, Zeb decided to go it alone and create a full-band sound without actually having any band members. The result is Stop the Earth, I Want to Get Off!, a dub, funk, folk and global beat mixture that takes the listener on a journey from Middle Eastern landscapes ("Monia"), to European discos ("Revolutionary Dreams"), African drum sessions ("Afro Disco") and the international club scene ("Disco Patel"). It is a journey all too familiar for Zeb, who was born in Italy, raised in England, lives in New York and holds a great affection for Middle Eastern, Indian and Caribbean music. In fact, it is the Middle Eastern vibe that anchors the album through tracks such as "Bauls of New York" and "Mashallah." But, it is also clear that Zeb seeks to highlight his influences through the subtlety and creativity of their combination rather than choosing one sound over another. The somber bass groove blends well with the rhythmic guitar riff and vocal on "Skunkaliscious," while Andrea Monteiro provides just enough vocal intensity on "Para Fugir" to become part of the movement. Stop the Earth, I Want to Off! is at once an artistic statement from an artist who stepped away in order to do it all (producer, arranger, mixer, programmer and studio musician) and a testament to the technology (computers, sampling, etc.) that allows him to succeed at it. One can sit back and listen to the closing tack ("Opium") and ponder all the various elements of its composition, or just take it in for its inherent musicality. With this album, both are enviable pursuits.
—Daniel Galleno
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