The legacy of Ali Omar lives on in this long awaited new album. Live And Love Your Life pays homage to a Sydney producer who just did what came natural to him, creating diverse, refreshing, soul empowering music, shifting from style and genre with ease, injecting everything from lavish moments of dub, post rave club soul, deep vocal house, abstract drum’n’bass experiments, and downtempo world music collage.
The varying vocal incarnations of Ali Omar, from toasting, and soulful reggae influences, to the gruff ranting and mumbling he became renowned for, I wonder if Spaceape has ever heard Ali Omar’ style, are interspersed with vocals from Gina Mitchell, Jes, Andy Fitzgerald, to name a few. I’ve always thought Atone could have more exposure, Omar and Andy Fitzgerald creating crafted, modern dub experiments as good as Massive Attack, with a similar genre hopping vibe, intensity, but soul enhancing energy.
Highlights are always the ones that touch on a dub aesthetic, “Live And Love Your Life†cruises through a 6a.m. fog, evoking the spirit of Vangelis. “Reason Why†shows a newer direction, post rave stabs ride a funky dubstep rhythm, with the soulful vocals of Gina Mitchell. “Look At The Stars†hits the dubstep mark again, pounding rhythms, skittering percussion and rapid fire bass. “Let The Light Come In†brings the reggae, but piles on the breaks to take the track somewhere completely different. “Caffeine†revisits the rapid fire bass, layers hip hop beats and dubbed out synth lines.
For all those who lived through the heyday of Sydney party culture, and the rise of the festival, would fondly remember the vibe Ali Omar and Atone evoked, those sweaty clubs where he knew how to work the crowd, dark fields exposing the sonic possibilities of dance culture, and the 6 a.m. chill out sessions where his work played on many a soundtrack. A talented artist will always be missed, but his music lives on, and his spirit can still do its work through his music.
Wayne Stronell
