Kevin Christensen is a musician/producer from Portland, OR who composes music for film and television. He is described as an artist having a talent for coordinating melody into a detailed orchestration of ease and sensibility that is purely captivating. His music is a blend of real instruments and computer generated sounds which typically cover a range of styles in the contemporary neighborhood… chillout, dub, electronic, dance, lounge, trip-hop, jazz… sometimes a feel-good ride… sometimes a darker element… often something else altogether… but always groovy! Kevin has just released his debut CD “portion of space” which is a collection of work that intertwines and fuses eclectic and poignant music displaying both his strength as a composer and his craftsmanship as a producer..
Kevin Christensen has been dipping his toes in a variety of music-related pools his entire life. He has toured as a musician, worked as a live sound engineer, performed in clubs as a DJ, and he’s also been on the corporate side of the music business. Today he is a musician/producer living in Portland, OR composing music for film and television who just released his debut album “portion of space.”
“With this first solo project,” Kevin says, “I’m exploring and trying to find my niche. The music is a blend of real instruments and computer generated sounds which cover a range of styles in the contemporary neighborhood… chill-out, dub, electronica, lounge, trip-hop, jazz… sometimes a feel-good ride… sometimes a darker element… often something else altogether… but always groovy.”
And groovy it is! It’s something like Ambient and Dub meet Ethereal New Age on the way to the Trip-Hop Electro-Lounge! Kevin blends these elements into a sound that can get your head bobbing, but can also be interestingly cinematic and delicate in nature.
There’s a lot of diverse material here. The overall harmonization of melody and rhythm is enthralling and effectively displays his talent as a musician. You hear chunks of global, ethnic snippets, Eastern-rhythms and futuristic synths weaving over both up-tempo and more ambient-style tracks. There’s dub-influenced experimental electronica as well as layered melodic hooks over funky, driving rhythms. And yet other times it may range from trip-hop to something you would find buried in a tasty movie soundtrack.
Warm and detailed, “portion of space” manages to be complex and accessible all together in a glossy production package that showcases Kevin’s skill as a producer. There are moments of extreme dense energy, euphoria and excitement, but by and large, the album is more of a laid-back trip to another world and perfect for sipping martinis in a funky chill-out bar.
Kudos to Kevin on his debut effort. We’ll certainly be hearing more of him. The enchanting and tasty amalgamations of sound make this a must-have CD.
“Portion of space” April 6th, 2005
Leave a Reply