Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Matej Sušnik with friends
Released: 2010
Length: 36:00
Rating: 4.5/5
These days, not many people have the chops and the balls to make a good, and above all listenable, instrumental rock album. There are only a handful of eminent names on the world stage (two of them, Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert, were recently hosted by Ljubljana), and on the Slovenian instrumental rock scene you can count the good acts on one hand. Uroš Planinc Group and Bor Zuljan definitely belong in that club, and lately so does Grega Habič Band, where Matej Sušnik (Metalsteel, Obidil) handles the bass duties. And Matej is exactly the guy to blame for the Slovenian scene getting richer by an excellent piece of instrumental music (maybe even the first one) led by the bass guitar. On The Ace of Bass, Matej and his guests don’t just serve up rock, but a colorful mix of rock, metal, funk and jazz.
The fittingly titled opener Magic Fingers proves from the first moments that Matej is currently one of the most prominent names in bass playing on the home scene, and over the course of this half-hour-plus album it becomes crystal clear that he can be mentioned in the same breath as the best Slovenian bassists. But the real strength of this record is that, despite the frequent bass solo excursions, the song comes first, and Matej proves time and again that on top of being an excellent bassist he’s also an outstanding songwriter, composer and arranger. Sušnik manages to breathe his own soul into every track, with plenty of bass lines up front and a whole arsenal of bass techniques, from lovely melodic tapping and artificial and natural harmonics all the way to jazzy “slapping”. The tracks hold the listener’s attention, and it’s great to hear an instrumental (bass) album that doesn’t get boring for a single moment. Matej pulls it off with a well-thought-out mix of slower, melancholic tracks, interrupted by funky, groove-laden ones, and then again by pure heavy metal excursions. A nice number of guest musicians adds even more variety and movement, and they never steal the spotlight from the main instrument, adding a lot of value to the songs instead. Throughout the whole album, the wonderful interweaving of bass and guitar lines is front and center (check the lovely melodic lines of the title track The Ace of Bass), while the keyboards from Gašper Kačar add a rich atmosphere to the tracks. Individual songs boast a colorful structure too. A nice example is Funky Story/Dr. Bass, which kicks off in a funk manner that would fit easily into an eighties B-grade action flick or a porn from the same decade, then builds into an excellent melodic “bridge”, keyboard and saxophone trade-offs and, for the climax, a brilliant guitar solo. Far, Far Away carries us up into the sky, at first with exceptionally melancholic lines that grow optimistic and positive as the track goes on, and the gorgeous sound of Inez Osina’s flute (Brezno) adds its own touch, forming an unexpected but wonderful duet with the bass. !SI!ntermezzo hides a surprisingly wrapped-up Zdravljica inside its artificial harmonics, while a didgeridoo provides the ominous intro to the nightmarishly moody The Streets. Through experiments with electronic sounds in O.D (Anywhere) and the ballad Spread Your Wings, Matej and the gang lead us to the finale, which offers no tranquil rest and peace for contemplating what you just heard. Instead, Think slaps you hard on the back with the bass and wraps a thick bass string around your neck. With Think, Matej and his friends attack the senses you hear music with, uncompromisingly. The fingers fly fastest along the bass neck in this very track, and the heavy metal might comes from a riff-sawing guitar that shines brightest right at the end of the album. This action track carries the spirit of a killer soundtrack from some sci-fi flick and would fit perfectly into a scene with massive explosions.
The Ace of Bass is an album with a clearly defined goal, and great talent and top-notch know-how seep through at every step, not just from Matej but from the guests who enriched his solo debut. With its variety, movement and dynamics, the record practically begs to be listened to, and with it Matej has proven not only that he belongs at the very top of Slovenian bassists, but that he’s also an ace when it comes to songwriting and composing.
Lineup
Matej Sušnik – bass
David Debevec – drums
Gašper Kačar – keyboards
Beny Kic – guitars
GUESTS:
Jernej Trobentar – guitar (Dr. Bass, Magic Fingers)
Lovro Ravbar – saxophone
Inez Osina – flute
Aleš Eržen – acoustic guitar
Sabina Sušnik – didgeridoo
Rok Tomšič – guitar (The Streets)
Production
Beny Kic and Matej Sušnik
Tracklist
1. Magic Fingers
2. Far, Far Away
3. The Ace of Bass
I. Funky Story
II. Dr. Bass
III. !SI!ntermezzo
6. The Streets
7. O.D (Anywhere)
8. Spread Your Wings
9. Think
