Otooto - Dosage [CD]

A 'dosage' is a form of sweetness, often a pinch of sugar, added during the production of champagne to balance out its inherent acidity. Inspired by this metaphor, Danish quintet OTOOTO strives to find the perfect balance between sweetness and maturity in their craft, as their genre-bending second album, 'Dosage' shows. Following on from their 2021 album 'This Love Is For You', 'Dosage' sits somewhere between the nostalgic and the modern. Lush synth layers, the warble of tape machines, dance-music influenced grooves, and soaring horn melodies over a landscape of rich gospel-tinged harmony are reminiscent of Virginian hip-hop/jazz group Butcher Brown with a European twist. Passages of solo electric bass, a delicate vocal ballad, moments of chaotic free-jazz energy, 90's inspired rap verses, lap-steel guitar and flowing saxophone solos come together to craft a musical landscape full of surprises and impossible to pin down. Each member of the five piece is an active contributor to the vibrant Danish jazz scene, with a slew of albums under their belts, international tours, and growing reputations. And, in a fresh twist, they welcome special guest rapper E. Brown and Swedish alt-pop artist Lucky Lo to the mix. United by the belief that jazz has historically been an evolving musical reflection of the current cultural landscape, the quintet takes influence from styles of contemporary popular music. Funk, ambient electronic music, shoegaze, and r'n'b are skillfully combined with their jazz sensibilities to create something which bubbles and sparkles like the drink which inspired it.