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The Solid Doctor reviews

2005 Charles Howarth - Discogs ↓

THE SOLID DOCTOR : How About Some Ether?

This fantastic album shows off the Solid Doctor's know-how for smokey downtempo beats. Among my personal highlights are A Moving Family of Suns, U-Turn and the sublime Dusk. Some uptempo tracks are on offer too - Armed to the Teeth is flavoured with Mr Fingers style early Chicago house. But for me the real heart of the album lies in the slower, after-hours chilling tracks.

And for those interested in such things, the title of the album is lifted from a line in Hunter S Thompson's "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas".

→ The Solid Doctor : How about some Ether?

1999 Amazon ↓

THE SOLID DOCTOR : How About Some Ether?

Solid Doctor is Steve Cobby - half of Fila Brazillia, the masters of Pork Recordings. These tracks are very phat, way large beats and some amazingly soulful samples. The 2 discs break down into very atmospheric downtempo and more dancefloor (though not your usual thumpathump techno by a long shot). Very highly recommended.

One of my all time favourite electronic downtempo cds!!! Check out anything on Pork recordings... Fila Brazillia especially... though this double cd pack is a must get for anyone who enjoys electronic music... lush, sexy and gorgeous soundscapes...

→ The Solid Doctor : How about some Ether?

1996 A.G. - DJ Magazine ↓

THE SOLID DOCTOR : Beats Means Highs

The phrase "Hull's finest" hasn't conventionally inspired the most fevered enthusiasm in folk but uttered in relation to Pork Recordings it should, if there's any justice left in the world, ignite fanatical rioting and : topple governments around the globe. Let's flaunt convention also by avoiding the normally irrepressible Pork review gags about curly tails, bringing home the bacon and : rooting out musical truffles from the sonic undergrowth and get on with the business of Steve Cobby's major contribution to downtempo funk in this country and leftfield dance music in general. He is one half of Fila Brazillia and one third of Heights of Abraham, which on their own should get him a knighthood.

He's also The Solid Doctor, his (inevitably) princely solo project of subtle beats and warm, ambient sound space. Sod the sculpted wombic interior of the modern luxury car, the second most comfortable place you'll have ever been is immersed in the amniotic aural fluids of 'Faustian Bargain', the ambient breakbeats of 'In The Offing' or in the sunny electro phonic jazz funk of 'Intranauts'. The funky but slightly aqueous junglisms of 'Daddy Mik Mik' don't quite hold up as drum & bass and 'Our Sorrow's crack at soothing dub reggae is slightly lacking. But in true Pork fashion the rest is, pure and simple, the pig's bollocks. AG 8/10

→ The Solid Doctor : Beats Means Highs

1995 Calvin Bush - Mixmag (Musik) ↓

THE SOLID DOCTOR : How About Some Ether?

And so the funky break of the trip hop groove enters the surgery of another qualified practitioner. An anaesthetic of Nepalese buckshot is administered by drip, a liquid balm of snowdrop strings and the entire works of Nino Rota (Fellini's favourite composer) are gently daubed on and small swabs of obscure dialogue and drifting radio wave samples make a patchwork poultice. As it leaves, tripping out, dazed and woozy, the deliciously contented break is told to join the same counselling session which has done so much for Howie B, DJ Food and 8UP. Yup, it's another of those lie-back-and-think-of-lying-back-some-more dope beat affairs. At times, The Solid Doctor's "How About Some Ether?" takes a cue from Ludovic Navarre, plundering the blues on "Holy Roller", sucking in 1987 house for "Armed To The Teeth" and detouring via Detroit jazzy techno on "Ether" itself. Every bit as daringly eclectic as Cool Breeze's "Assimilation", this is instrumental experimentalism par excellence.

Classy without unnecessary showiness, chilled out without faking the funk, it spreads its tapestry over two CDs, but your eyelids won't droop once. More therapeutic than a lifetime's supply of Prozac and Freudian analysis. Prescribe now.

→ The Solid Doctor : How about some Ether?