Ammon Contact is Los Angeles-based DJ and producer
Carlos Niño and bedroom electronica artist Fabian Ammon Alston, both of whom grew up listening to lots of old Blue Note jazz albums and vintage soul and hip-hop. The first time you listen to this duo's debut album, you think "Eh, there's not much there." The second time, the subtleties start to come through: the way the beat sways and swings on "Juno What I Mean" and "House Plants," the polyrhythmic complexity of the faintly Brazilian "Encouragement," the irresistibly funky and slightly eerie groove on which "Ultra DB" is built, the probably unintentional P.D.Q. Bach quote that anchors "Zato Ichi." The reason it's easy to underestimate this music on first listen is that most of the tracks are fairly minimalist -- no densely layered samples, no heavy-handed turntablist pyrotechnics or in-your-face basslines. The cumulative effect of the album is almost ambient in its gentle flow. But then you find that you can't stop wiggling while it's playing. ~ Rick Anderson