For those of us already taken with Jay Dene’s digital soul and Miguel Miggs’ tight dubs, Nude Dimensions III only goes a little way there. This blended portion of the series includes more dance geographies, with all of the songs pulled from an international record crate.
The enveloped aroma of dusk seeping from Gaelle’s “Rain” maintains Naked’s deep-house choices. As an intro, it speaks to the chill factor of the catalog and signals the ambient-sleeptime utility of Nude Three. Nathan Haines’ West London nu-jazz anthem, “Earth Is The Place,” gets a dub-beats mix with Phil Asher’s touch. Glasgow Underground has one of the better moments with the Jersey Street-produced “Step Into The Light” in which Nick Martinelli’s ethic closes in on Dawn Zee’s inviting posture. Drum telephones start ringing up the Lucky Ones’ “Ever After Love (Love Beats)” — the hottest of head-body music here. Impressions of some Detroit and NYC garage make a play for “Caught Up.” J. Mark Andrus conveniently brings on the Kraftwerk-kissed trumpet in “Lullaby,” the rarest of finds in the Naked world.
Assuming that Denes and Miggs will always deliver the soul of house, this one is a transitional piece to move Naked out into other sound worlds. Listen with patience or chuck it and go back to Nude One or Two.
E-mail Tamara Harris at [email protected].
