Tony Lionni - As One

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  • Tony Lionni generally strays on the straightforward side of things. He does this with class and polish, whether it's Detroit techno influenced, like his Timeless EP earlier this year, or in a deep house vein—many of his productions are characterised by shimmering pad lines. This approach does present a risk of becoming too straightforward and drifting into standardness, especially when the well-documented difficulty of writing a dance music album is taken into account. Overall there's plenty of quality here, carried out with a cocked eyebrow and expert ear. When "Found Another Place" introduces finely chiselled fizz into the mix of last year's "Found a Place," the synths bounce around each other in an effortlessly cool, driving neon polyrhythm. The tonic fizzing returns, fuller this time, on the title track, which takes something very close to the chord sequence from "Good Life" as its basis. Despite this lead's similarity to such an iconic track, the combination with a chunky disco bassline, melting, dreamy bells and a soothing vocal fills it with character and makes it worthy of its pride of place. From the outset, "Serenity" is filled with style in an otherworldly fashion, with a fantastically programmed whistling riff that sits in the background throughout, emerging every so often from the building mélange of bubbling bells and plucks. "Waiting for You" is a fine example of his well-executed modus operandi. A simple, warm bass repetition and pattering thud of a kick is wrapped up in throbbing pads and various other spacious, calming elements. Elsewhere, there are ideas which aren't so successfully executed. While "Tees Theme" contains a nice acidic bassline along with various other classic elements, the descending riff, with echoes of piano house, isn't engaging enough to carry the track through. "The More You Give" is classic and familiar, but a pinch too obvious. The bassline is a shade off possessing the character we expect, and, while classy, it sounds as if it were written to fill things out. While the slow, oily lumber of the final track is appropriate, it's similarly got a feeling of self-consciousness in its "end-of-the-album" vibe. These parts are in the minority. Like his tracks, this album is not conceptually ambitious or experimental—it's a collection of tunes. It's exactly what you'd expect: Warm, disco-tinged deep house which hits the spot, but not quite as consistent as his single catalogue.
  • Tracklist
      01. Distant Memories 02. Out Of Sight 03. Found Another Place 04. The More You Give 05. Deep Field 06. As One 07. Tees Theme 08. Waiting For You 09. Serenity 10. Everlasting 11. Harmonys Song
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