Reviews

New CD Reviews ............

Venue Magazine  - July 2009

Dynamo’s Rhythm Aces

What more do you want in life ? ( LP, Self - released )

Finally a hangover cure that actually works: forget the Gregg’s pasty and Pepsi max ( well don’t actually, they a re a perfect accompaniment to your aural experience ). Stagger downstairs, shirking sunlight, bemoaning beer gardens and put this album on. It’s a revelation. Now some might shout angrily downstairs, calling it novelty and far to loud, but I disagree. Its is essentially covers of popular songs in a super swinging style ‘tis true, but it does it so well – each song is given a new identity but in a far more invigorating way than a witness protection scheme. You will coolly click your fingers to “ Walk this way “ and swing your hips and play imaginary brass instruments to “ Back in black “.  A rich baritone choir saves “The boys are back in town” from the normal hairy men in a local pub treatment. It is simply elegantly excellent. And kills you hangover stone cold dead.  ( Tamar Newton )   - Five Stars

Blues matters magazine – issue 47

Dynamo’s Rhythm Aces

What more do you want in life ?

There is a fine line to tread when you cover a well – known song in a new or unusual genre, Get it right and the results can be truly electrifying, get it wrong and you end up with what seasoned critics like to call a dogs dinner. Dynamo’s rhythm aces are a trio of guys who love their retro 40’s and 50’s jazz, swing and rockabilly as much as they love their modern beat combos. “ What more do you want in life is the bands fourth Cd and features skiffle and swing covers of every thing from Arerosmith’s  “Walk this way “ to the Clash’s “ Rock the Kasbah “. Some of the covers work better than others. Their rendition of the Artic Monkeys “ I bet you look good on the dance floor “ is excellent. The swinging beats and vocal harmonies show the trio of William Waine, Daniel Kear and Peter Lane really do know their stuff and you know they that they must be a lot of fun live. Quite what AC/DC fans would make of their version of Back in Black is another mater. For those about to swing Dynamo’s Rhythm Aces, We salute you. 

Blues In Britain

Dynamo’s Rhythm Aces

What more do you want in life ?

Top CD 004

There’s almost certain to be something here to put a smile on your face. This album’s unique selling point is to recycle a wide range of past top 40 hits into a jazzy jump style. No one is safe. David Bowie, James Brown, Jarvis Cocker, The Clash, Talking Heads and the Artic Monkeys all get minced up and remolded. A lot of care has gone into the re-arranging these hits to sound like 1930’s – 40’s swing  ( or similar )
And the results are surprisingly convincing. Daniel kear’s guitar licks catch the attention and solid backing from Williams Waine’s double bass and Peter Lane’s drums underpin everything. All three contribute Vocals and most tracks have additions from guests – principally horns but vibes, fiddle extra vocals and percussion pop up here and there.
My favorite Conversions were Bob Dylan’s  “Subterranean homesick blues “ given a New Orleans brass band treatment, Grandmaster Flash’s “ The Message” which approaches Manhattan Transfer territory and Amy Winehouse’s “ Rehab” in a great western swing Style. I’d Love to see the DJ slip one of these tracks on at a 1940’s jive weekender and watch the purists do a double take when they realize what the song is. However, since the up tempo swing instrumental blues which closed the album is the only non remake the band risk being saddled with a permanent novelty tag that they might later regret. Great Fun though and certainly very different from your average jump jive revivalists. Rating: 8 – Kit Packham

Band Reviews .............

Edinburgh Fringe

Visually entertaining, musically stunning.

The Guardian - Review of Lost Vagueness Summer festival

In the Ballroom The Outstanding Dynamo’s Rhythm Aces reshaped classics like Aces of spades into Jump Jive Monsters.

Colin Murray - Radio 1

Outstanding and completely unprecedented.

Evening Post

The boogie-woogie version of My generation was mind blowing.

Womad

Truly unique with a deservedly formidable reputation.

Glastonbury Festival

Scintillating 40's swingsters somehow put the boogaloo into Beastie Boys, the Charleston into T-Rex and the swing into the Sex Pistols! Fantastic stage show with a real swinging sound.

Old Duke, Bristol - Venue Magazine

For those arriving Late here’s the conceit: a trio of Brilliant 50’s rockabilly/ boogie woogie Players turn their attention to making over a willfully diverse selection of latter-day hits. And DRA genius lies in their unceasing ability to make you believe that these are the originals, the others – ‘20 century boy’, ‘ Addicted to love‘, Under the Bridge’ et al merely by comparison, club footed imposters. The quality might be uniformly high, but that doesn’t preclude room for stand-outs. A complete reconstruction of Ace of Spades is a particular joy, pined to an elastic fingered guitar line affixed somewhere betwixt Django Reinhardt and Carl Perkins. Ditto to a slow – burn finger clicking groove that shifts Black Sabbath’s ‘ Paranoid into the field of Balladry. Still such pedantic musicology is mostly severely at odds with rammed ecstatic atmosphere. Best Live band In Bristol ? We’re not going to argue.