Jacques Greene – Dawn Chorus

A fulfilling and emotional album, best listened to as a whole...

Through the past 10 years, Jacques Greene (Philippe Aubin-Dionne) has cemented himself in the music scene through morphing his own sound from pitched up R&B vocal remixes. Since then he’s finessed and evolved his sound, moving onto EP’s and releasing the 2017 album ‘Feel Infinite’. Now, the Canadian producer takes his sound to the next dimension with this latest release, ‘Dawn Chorus’. 

Jacques has described his sound as “music about the club, not for the club”. Sonically, this album could be taken further than the dancefloor, something pictured more for a concert hall. The opener ‘Serenity’ hits you instantly. Bringing a wave of sounds and sirens made for a rave, an emotional opener with sampled breaks, being something you can almost visually picture.

Produced in between Greene’s home studio in Toronto and Hudson Mohawke’s recording studio, Jacques has taken himself out of the comfort zone to experiment with new sounds and equipment. Along with this, new collaborations bring new directions to explore. ‘Drop Locations’ – co-produced with legendary producer Clams Casino – is a haze-induced track; both dark and distorted, it takes influence from Clams' cloud rap background.

Aubin-Dionne teams up with fellow Canadian and rapper Cadence Weapon for 'Night Service'. Referring to the club to a religious home isn’t something new, but Cadence does well to keep you engaged in the story he tells of a night in the function. It’s a song that’s most made for the club on the album, infusing techno and acid basslines throughout.

A more breakbeat Burial style is heard on one of the standout tracks ‘Do It Without You’ with its distorted drums and melancholic tone it perfectly encapsulates Aubin-Dionne’s bittersweet style. A similar mood is found on ‘Whenever’ which brings out that gritty low-lying bass.

The most radio-friendly piece from the LP is ‘Let Go’ featuring Rochelle Jordan, where Aubin-Dionne’s previous R&B influences are most prominent. Closing track 'Stars' has drums and gleaming synths that match the vocals of Sandrine Somé's story of childhood and a night under the stars in nature. A song truly feels like the last song played on a night out, with the music blurring into one.

The album overall feels like an experiment for Aubin-Dionne, each song stands alone but it’s heard better as a whole piece. The use of calming synth melodies and diverse beats that tie together to make for a fulfilling and emotional 40 minutes of music.

7/10

Words: Joe Hale

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