Chopstick and Johnjon
Twelve
Suol
8/10
If you can believe it, Chopstick and Johnjon have been together as a duo for twelve years now; producing, remixing, DJing and running their own record label, Suol. But like a good marinade, the more time you give it, the stronger and more memorable the flavours will be, and this is certainly analogous to the journey that Chopstick and Johnjon have undergone. Even though, individually, their musical paths appear quite different, with Chopstick (aka Chi-Thien Nguyen) a classically trained musician, and Johnjon aka John B Muder a former hip-hop DJ, it was the passion for house and techno that eventually lead their paths to cross and ultimately merge as one. And it's this mixing of ingredients that give Chopstick and Johnjon a distinct flavour that separates them from the mainstream, over-the-counter sounds that we hear today. And after twelve years worth of production and remixing, including efforts for Deep Dish, Robyn, Fritz Kalkbrenner and Digitalism just to name a few, they have finally released their debut album, aptly named ‘Twelve.’
In a purely marketing identification strategy, ‘Twelve’ may be considered to fall under the category of house music. But upon immediate listening to the album, the Chopstick & Johnjon sound is far from what is currently being labeled as house music. It has a far more organic feel - a sense of texture and dynamism that is so lacking in today’s mass produced, overhyped, designed-for-short-attention-spans, dance music. Additionally, in what turned out to be quite the master stroke, much of the vocal contributions in the album come from London based vocalist Chris James, whose intoxicating and soulful voice gives the tracks much depth and appeal.
The album opens with the gorgeously deep, downtempo house of 'Run Slowly' - a serene collection of harmonies and soaring synths that is a joyous listen. 'Comets' follows, an astral breakbeat offering that would be fitting for that early morning drive home from the club, or even as a mood setter at home. The album then takes a new direction with 'Twisted', a velvety, groove-laden slice of downbeat, which is perhaps a reflection of Johnjon’s previous life as a hip-hop DJ. But it is James’ soulful vocals that ultimately draw you in, engulfing you in a sensuality.
'Silent Songs' steers the album back into 4/4 territory, with 'Dissolving Spaces' and 'Erase These Images' the more uptempo tracks on offer, showing how effectively Chopstick & Johnjon can easily command the dancefloor. Lead single 'Pining Moon' is an ethereal deep house track that is somewhat reminiscent of the groove laden house sounds that was so rife in the late 90s - early 00s from outfits such as Everything But The Girl. The album's final tracks include the warbling, 4/4 bassline of 'Roots', the minimalist downtempo of 'Dreading The Light' (with a killer double bass bridge that shows Chopstick’s pedigree as a classically trained musician), and an acoustic version of 'Pining Moon', which highlights Chopsticks & Johnjon's focus on actual song structures, rather than an emphasis on synth effects and over-the-top production.
Though it may have been a painful wait at times, Chopsticks & Johnjon's patience in making sure that their marinade has seeped in before cooking their debut album has resulted in an LP that will fully satisfy listeners hungry for gourmet house offerings. I just hope that they don’t take a further twelve years to release their sophomore.