Cape Catastrophe

Percy Jones is a journeyman bass player who is probably more well known for his role as the bass player for the band Brand X. His style while in that band was a mish mash of disco grooves, funk, jazz fusion, and just off the wall grooves that defy explanation. 

 

After Brand X Jones played with Tunnels, did a lot of solo touring, and loaned his talents to some obscure acts that allowed him to continue exploring his talents. Ad a stand alone player, Jones really pushed the limit. Cape Catastrophe is a taste of that. 

 

My first impression of the album was that I had stumbled upon lost 80’s film soundtrack cuts. A lot of it reminded me of 80’s films like Dreamscape, Commando, even some video game stuff like Double Dragon or Bijou Billy (oddly enough). There was a lot of funky bass playing going on with some brave experimentations with chimes, drum machines, and synths. 

 

I think an independent reviewer said it best when they called the music “Middle Eastern Industrial Techno-Funk”. For me, that pretty much describes the enormity of sounds coming off this album. In one song Jones makes his bass sound a sitar, on another he seems to get lost in the jumble of science fiction like synth and drum machine collage that pushes the drum and bass category into a whole other level, I’m talking Aphex Twin weird. 

 

The album is completely voiceless aside from some strange radio broadcasts coming from a (now) archive Australian broadcast. It’s all simply industrial like sounds that Jones seems to weave in and out of. It will most definitely not be an album for everyone. There is a lot of madness about it and if you know what Jones is capable of and respect the atmosphere that he brings to this album, you’re going to love his work and find the amazing in it. Well worth checking out if you’re into bass playing, jazz, or are a free spirited music lover.