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Rendezvous: Merging Jazz with Electropop

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By Alma Jones

The one thing I dread in music is to hear two beautiful genres fused together in one sloppy song, like two awkward clumps of clay haphazardly slapped together. It's extremely difficult to pull off this stunt, especially if the genres in mind are not the least bit similar. That's why I'm quite relieved that Rendezvous, the popular underground band from Israel, has actually accomplished this almost impossible feat.



I can definitely hear a very strong influence of psychedelic jazz reminiscent of the sixties in their songs. “So What" is happily restless, reminding me of a restrained, well-behaved child dying to bounce up and down the room. It lets go eventually especially near the end, with the crooning of the sax lending a soulful note to this song.



As for Rendezvous' “Incognito", it sounds much more relaxed. Indeed, jazz is a strong flavor of this song; there is a notable Pink Floyd influence on the “Incognito" track.



“No Man's Land" is a little more experimental in vibe and beat. Keyboard tunes are heavier and a little more dominant.



It seems Rendezvous as a band has found its identity. All songs arguably have the same baseline theme but unique concepts, proving that indeed, Rendezvous knows what kind of music they want to make.



Perhaps the one thing I love most about the songs though is that they are saturated just right. Not overwhelming but not too quiet that it drives me to sleep -- no; although the beats are far from being high-speed, Rendezvous' songs have just enough flair to keep me interested.



So, yes, I'll want to keep my eyes on Rendezvous. These tracks are from over five years ago, so I'm sure their new tracks will be even more interesting. They do have an album coming out and, from what I've seen on Rendezvous' YouTube channel, it looks like they have more tricks up their sleeve.



One thing's for sure: they did succeed in merging electronica with jazz. At first, it seemed like a silly idea, at best a quirky one. But, now that I've heard how Rendezvous did it, I stand corrected.


Track Listing: Incognito; No Man's Land; So What.

Personnel: Itai Simon; Hagai Izenberg.

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