Label: NovaMute
Review by Warren Mayocchi
Except for the last three minutes the beats-per-minute are high in this one. Four tracks are delivered with minimal vocal input, atmospheric effects, big beats, and repetition of the artistic kind. Given Charlotte de Witte works as a DJ/Producer what you will hear on “The Healer” is to be expected from an artist formerly known as Raving George. It is easy as a listener to lose oneself in the groove, but each of the high tempo songs include an effect which disrupts the flow. At least it did so for me. Not everyone will have the same reaction, in fact, most, if not all, will probably love what set me on edge. “The Healer” contains an electronic mosquito flying ever closer, “Silence” has a non-musical narrator with a truncated lyric of “silence”, “Kuda” has the habit of overlaying the repeated vocal line with an electro-frog welcoming the oncoming beat storm. “Song of the Wood Nymphs” is unique as it only slightly increases the tempo from a slow and atmospheric beginning. The producer definitely won the artistic battle over the DJ in that final song. Even though I could not handle a few of the elements in the songs, the quality of the work can be heard throughout “The Healer”. With stronger musical themes (and less of those noises) Charlotte de Witte could move beyond the DJ label, but I suspect she is having too much fun doing what she loves (and quite rightly does not care what I think).
Rating – 75/100
Tracklist
- The Healer
- Silence
- Kuda
- Song of the Wood Nymphs
