Blues music never truly experienced the commercial and social boom Jazz music had in the twentieth century. Blues music was not far behind Jazz music in terms of prestige and relatability of the world’s melancholy during and after World War II. Although the genre is no longer a relatable force, with the exception of the Chicago scene, there are still musicians out there actively resurrecting the mourning souls of yesterday.
One of those bands is ElectroBluesSociety, a duo with a prestigious amount of years before them. Before being a part of the Black and Tan Records label, bassist and drummer Jasper Mortier and guitarist Jan Mittendrop have held numerous years of experience in the European revival scene of Blues music. Although, it would be unfair to compare their style to that of Muddy Waters or any other Blues legend.
Electrobluessociety describe their own style as a “range between Alan Romax to Roxy Music and from Charlie Parker to Led Zeppelin.” Their aim is on reviving the old-school sound with modern technology. It’s easy to understand that these two hold a good amount of musical depth in their blood and know how to utilize their strength. They’ve proven that with their latest single, ‘Be Allright.’
The single is as wavy as it is ambient. There’s not too much noise filtering in between notes. The patterned guitar strings are amplified when necessary and even used in reverb along with the other elements. The musical pattern is thoroughly cleansed, which drains out all the grittiness that typically consists of a live session, for better or for worse.
The strings are definitely the highlight of the single. Dancing along with Mortier’s bass strings, Mittendrop’s guitar strings manage to coalesce with the bass strings perfectly. Both instruments manage to do this even when they’re traveling at their own pace. For its five-minute duration, the single shifts its pace and instrumental focal points. Mittendrop’s guitar strings take center stage, where each pluck booms and the pattern is carefully arranged.
Mittendrop’s strings are placated by Mortier’s bass strings and the hollow moans that help transition each stage of the single’s arrangement. With these elements acting as the atlas stone of the track, these two manage to find their perfect Pythagorean formula. Filtering out all the filling noise that old-school revival songs tend to use, these two wanted to utilize technology as a way to enhance their art, not destroy it.