The proper debut by Donaldson's
Q-Burns Abstract Message project is a bright spot for leftfield American electronica, easily comparable to more celebrated British producers from
Orbital to
the Chemical Brothers. Feng Shui is a bit more melodic and also more tied to Florida's breakbeat rave scene, but Donaldson ranges far and wide for his musical ideas, with nods to Latin, psychedelia, R&B and even Krautrock (the results of which include an unlikely
Faust cover -- "Jennifer" from
Faust IV -- that manages reverence for the original as well as a pioneering spirit of its own). Though worldwide listeners often look to Britain for full-length electronica odysseys,
Feng Shui proves they're found all over. ~ John Bush