Edge of Blue

Released in 2000, producer Chris Franck and jazz-dance and soul DJ Patrick Forge’s debut album as Da Lata, Songs from the Tin, was a joyful mixture of Afro-Brazilian influences with a London-centric twist. Twenty-five years later and there hasn’t been a huge amount of progression, but Forge and Franck certainly know their way around Latin dance and there are some great moments spread throughout Edge of Blue. For instance, the syncopated percussive groove of lead single ‘Arena’ and the melodies reminiscent of Sergio Mendes on ‘The Lonely City’ are all sweet cocktails in a 50s Copacabana bar. Things become more interesting on ‘Rare Thirst’, a short, shimmering conga-led, dengue-fever dream complete with a wonderfully wobbly synth line, which prompts the listener to think on how the album would have developed if this avenue had been explored more. Even though this is a foreign interpretation of Brazilian music, a version of Brazil pra inglês ver (for the gringo to see), the silky vocal harmonies and ironed-out global melodies do have plenty of charm.