| Popmatters |
 German jazz-dubber Niko Schabel grabbed people’s attention four years ago while operating under the name of Radio Citizen. On paper, his formula looked very daring and modern, but in practice, all of these supposedly disparate parts compliment each other just fine. Electronic grooves, horn-driven jazz, beat poetry matched to a simple melody, songs spanning four minutes—all of the usual suspects that go into making palatable crossover albums. Berlin Serengeti was a critical favorite for 2006, and Schabel goes through the motions to serve up a sequel in Hope and Despair. In these dozen songs, he has the makings of a good album.
One thing that Schabel has going for him is his ability to sculpt sound. In the most off-kilter of grooves, as in “Isarwellen”, the sounds of the wind instruments blend together in a way only an experienced arranger could manage. “Skyscraper”, a rock-solid one-two stomp, gives no pretense of crumbling under the weight of electronically manipulated sounds. Grooving it starts, and grooving it will stay to the end. The Fender Rhodes piano is another asset to Radio Citizen’s sound, proving that Schabel exercises his instruments with restraint. “Thema” is a good example of how the infamous electric piano can traipse over the mix rather than becoming a mosquito buzzing in the listener’s ear.
This ease comes at a cost. Much of Hope and Despair comes across as too distilled to be brazen, or too laid-back to be dance party music. When musicians establish a groove, it’s awfully tempting to ride it for all it’s worth. A tight pocket can be hard to come by, and an artist working in the electro-jazz field may look at it as a use-it-or-loose-it situation. Radio Citizen will end up using and using, marking time just before the song reaches the five-minute mark. It’s an instance where someone would really need to be invested in the production value of the music, letting composition take second banana....full text |
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| Allmusic |
| Four years after Berlin Serengeti, composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Niko Schabel resurrects Radio Citizen for Hope and Despair. The album builds on the esthetics of its predecessor and evolves in its sound toward a more provocative, aggressive, and ambitious result, driven incessantly by the force of upright bass. Strings, brass, reeds, and woodwinds are played and/or sonically manipulated across modal and stylistic lines through jazz, dub, funk, African, and Latin styles. Shimmering, dramatic strings and exotic percussion also color these proceedings with darker, irresistible textures. On "Test Me," Ursula Rucker's vocals are supported by a bassline that stretches the cut's time signature yet remains in the pocket; strings and winds create an atmospheric razor-wire that her delivery dances upon. The riveting contrabass that drives "Isarwellen" is juxtaposed with piano, Latin and African drumming, and a horn section that evokes both the late-'60s-era Gil Evans and Oliver Nelson. A Rhodes piano props itself under Bajka's voice on "Hope"; skittering cymbals and hi-hats pop on the one as her reedy soul vocal declares her determination. Bass and saxophones enter the middle and flood the space, making it a jazz-funk wonder. Contrast this to the breezy, slippery reggae in "Summer Days." Bajka lilting vocal rides atop a fingerpopping head nod of percussion and bass before reeds and winds stagger in on syncopated lines. The spooky, dub-heavy mix in "Home" relies on nocturnal ambience as keys, open space, scratched records, and white noise introduce a simple piano melody that seemingly arrives from the ether. "Move" utilizes Miles Davis' Bitches Brew's employment of distorted Rhodes and acoustic pianos that charge through the densely packed sonics and a driving rhythmic attack. Bajka's voice on "Stop or Go" grooves on the musical tightrope between modern club-soul and Getachew Mekuria's Ethiopian jazz. "Last Exit" uses strings in a cinematic manner without cliches. There's a weave of polyrhythms crackling on slow burn as the strings create a contrapuntal theme for the Rhodes; its tension is almost unbearable. Hope and Despair charts an ambitious course; its canny arrangements and deft, subtle, layered mixing create a muscular yet entrancingly mysterious group of tunes that, when taken together, is stunning in its depth and breadth. This is future music created by a journey through the past, and here it's disassembled and rebuilt, one groove at a time....full text |
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| Insound |
| VINYL FORMAT. Comes with a digital download! Four years have passed since the release of Berlin Serengeti, the debut album from producer Niko Schabel and friends, aka Radio Citizen. His first album was an all-out assault of electronic music armed with organic tentacles that reached far into an eclectic bag of rough jazz and worldly funk. On Hope and Despair he takes an even headier blend of raucous live instrumentation, and works it into gritty songs and walls of sound with deft mixing and subtle studio trickery, all rooted by heavyweight bass lines. His mass ensemble of musical friends often performs together in the Radio Citizen live show that developed after the release of the first album. Their unified musical prowess is reflected in the soloing, the harmonies, and all the interactions that lift Hope and Despair above its predecessor. The album launches at full force on the first track, "Test Me." Jagged strings provide a tense backdrop for special guest Ursula Rucker to strut her stuff. On "Home," "Midnight" and "Skyscapers" Schabel furthers his Berlin Serengeti experiments forging indestructible genre (and speaker) busting joints that ride the line between hip hop, dub and jazz. On "Hope" and "Stop or Go" Bajka adds her unique dusty vocal flow to the busted beats. She also wrote the music and lyrics to "Summer Days," the more organic and live track of her three appearances. On "Move" and "Thema" Schabel balances Afro Cuban rhythm with big band backing. The sound, at times, is like an orchestra in the style of The Art Ensemble of Chicago or Sun Ra's Arkestra with huge wind sections or multiple percussionists driving the listener on a whirlwind tour through African rhythms, Ethiopique-stewed funk, and film-noir jazz. The bitter blue sound of "World" recalls vintage Archie Shepp (circa Attica Blues) with Schabel interjecting only brief moments of respite from the chaotic walls of horns and piano....full text |
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