Ananda Project

With everyone and his brother shying away from the blitzkrieg of drum and bass (including some of its best known torch carriers; see Photek and LTJ Bukem's latest albums), dance music producers and fans are finding rekindled fascination in the kinder, gentler 4/4 throb submitted by disco. House, as in the deeper flavor of disco served up at Chicago's Warehouse, and garage, the more vocal-oriented variant originating from New York's Paradise Garage, are also experiencing something of a revival, although neither really went anywhere.

The Ananda Project goes back to garageland for inspiration.

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More About

• Chris Brann
• Larry Levan
• Justin Chapman
• Dance

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Though garage has been around for just as long, it's never been included in the same breath as the Big Three dance styles: house, techno and trance. Since the more underground threads of those subgenres have historically considered vocals to be cheesy, garage tracks used to get little attention from DJs, the press or all but the most dedicated enthusiasts. The tides, once again, have turned well before most of us even noticed.

The Ananda Project, a collaboration among popular house producer Chris Brann (of Wamdue Kidz) and a shifting cast of four very soulful singers, is an extremely polished, updated take on the garage tradition. Smooth and richly produced enough for the home listening set and plenty driving for the dance floor, Release will no doubt appeal to a wide range of listeners. Brann's lush instrumental backdrops (complete with bird and insect sounds) and the airy vocals of his able guests will be immediately inviting even to those unfamiliar with dance music.

The converted, however, might not take to the Project so readily. The soft bass lines and sometimes happy-go-lucky melodies and lyrics don't carry the weight of the garage classics of yore produced by Larry Levan. But even the jaded will find themselves pleasantly surprised by the standouts "Cascades of Color" and "Expand Your Mind," both of which showcase Brann's ability for subtly tweaking vocal sounds. In the case of the former, he bounces various tracks of Gaelle Adisson against each other, and on the latter, he modulates Justin Chapman's intonations into a reflective and spiritual tapestry. In all, Releasemakes the line between dance music and pop a little blurrier, for better or worse.