Artist review: Selko -- "Ultramundane"

Selko -- Ultramundane
By Michael Davis

Help. I’ve gotten sucked into the vortex of Selko’s Ultramundane recording. It won’t let go, and I just can’t set it down. This is theme music, the soundtrack of a complex life moving fluidly through a maze from trouble to beauty and back.

From the very first cut, "Intro," is reminiscent of the feel of an Isaac Hayes attitude in "Theme from Shaft," or Curtis Mayfield’s "Superfly," which are arguably amongst the origins of electronic hip-hop. From there Selko explores wide dimensions that have also been touched by Ry Cooder (of the film "Paris, Texas" fame), Hooverphonics (A New Stereophonics Sound Spectacular), and even John Barry's "James Bond" sound.

Selko is a class act. When I imagine some person in the basement making up this stuff, at odd hours of night, on a home computer, I think "This guy may want to give up his day job and pursue a career in Hollywood." It’s that good.