Real Cool Capers

Downtempo instrumental trip-hop written and produced by a Brooklynite multi-instrumentalist named Scot Cortese, Real Cool Capers was supposedly pieced together from spontaneous after-hours jam sessions using the instruments and recording equipment being held at a pawn shop that Cortese worked at part-time. The story sounds a little dubious considering both the skill with which these tracks were put together and the presence of several common sound sources from track to track. (Who pawned that great, deep-toned, and woody-sounding upright bass that percolates through nearly all of these ten tracks?) Regardless of the methods and circumstances of recording, Real Cool Capers has an appealing late-night vibe with echoes of European soundtracks, '70s soul, and '80s electro-pop percolating through the laid-back, dubwise atmosphere. The early-'80s synths and stutter-step electronic percussion of "Love-In-Tokyo" are a particular highlight, but the entirety of Real Cool Capers makes for excellent after-dark listening.