An intoxicating mix of individuality and good jazz fusion
As a classically trained pianist making electro-jazz music, Nicolas Dupuis AKA. Anomalie has always challenged the limits of genre. Bend The Rules, his new EP produced with Judeo-Arabic duo Chromeo, is no different. With a stylish sense of individuality, Anomalie charms jazz/soul listeners with three fresh, blissfully dense tracks.
With an electro/synth atmospheric beginning, ‘On My Mind’ jumps into playful funk. As he effortlessly dictates a rhythmic swell of sound, Anomalie combines several lo-fi/groovy layers to create a dazzling track:
“Working on Bend The Rules with Chromeo made me feel like I was finally reunited with my long lost cousins from Montreal,” said Anomalie. “The blend of Dave and Pee’s funkiness, stellar vocals and talkbox chops with my keyboard layers and arrangement approach is something I’m so happy and proud of.”
The EP’s title track ‘Bend The Rules’ is also unapologetically technical. A frenzy of ostentatious grooves provides a base for Chromeo’s easy vocals which blend seamlessly into a unique take on jazz fusion.
‘Champ De Mars’ rounds off with a delirious, sparkling combination of stylish phrases. The track provides the final padding to a funk-driven EP with a slow-mo, soft-house sound.
“We’ve been following Anomalie’s career for years and to us, he’s in the lineage of the great 80s Montreal jazz fusion bands we listen to growing up,” said Chromeo on the collaboration.
Anomalie’s mind-bending range is hard to miss. From jazzed funk to smooth lo-fi soul, the future looks flexible for jazz fusion. With more upcoming electro-jazz keyboardists like him, the road looks promising for a new, brilliantly technical take on jazz.
Image credit: Ableton
