Electronic review: 4gottenfloor: The Forgotten Floor

(Jato Music)

3 / 5

  1. 4gottenfloor
  2. The Forgotten Floor
  3. Jato Music
  1. £15.99
  2. 2008

Flamboyant soulman Chelonis R Jones is a one-off. With his honeyed throat and fertile imagination, the New York City native juggles his role as vocalist on the Berlin electronic scene with painting and photography. His latest project, a collaboration with Italian producer Alex Dandi, takes its title from the nickname given to the floor for mental patients in Miami jails. It turns out to be Jones's most straightforward work yet, eschewing the voluptuous sound of his past work in favour of a neater sound and pop structures. R&B choruses swoop over house, italo and electro arrangements, while Jones switches from sleazy come-ons to socially aware narratives with little warning. AAA (Afro American Alienation) tells the tale of a teenage girl who "dreamed of fashion runways, now she sleeps in doorways". It's followed by the obsessive lust of the cavernous, grinding Bitch Exemplar. Bar a couple of somewhat rote tracks, The Forgotten Floor sees Jones happily spinning off in his own world.

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