German Music:

De-Phazz

Music style: Jazz / Soul
Band Members: Pit Baumgartner, Pat Appleton (vocals), Karl Frierson (vocals), Otto Engelhardt (trombone), Roy Randolp (percussion), Jan Fride (drums), Joo Kraus (trumpet).

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Pit Baumgartner -- former DJ, variety entertainer, author of radio plays and children's programming for public broadcaster ZDF, and creator of a unique sort of lounge music -- forms the core of De-Phazz. The eclectic background of the band's founder is reflective of their sound, which has evolved from the electronic music of Baumgartner's 1997 album Detunized Gravity into a rich combination of diverse styles: Jazz, soul, Latin, rhythm and blues, and groove all blend into an easy listening cocktail. Their 1999 release Godsdog is a mixture of trip hop with the sounds of drum and bass played in a smooth easy listening style. The songs on the band's third album Death By Chocolate (2001) are a fusion of computerized soul with live instruments and strong vocals. In Daily Lama (2002), the vocals also more central, while the sound of Natural Fake (2005) has a raw character by comparison and relies more heavily on guitar.

Pit Baumgartner seemingly pulls together a new set of musicians for each album, though Appleton and Frierson are more permanent members of the group. While music sampling and computerized mixing is a recognized part of De-Phazz' musical style, the band is increasingly drawn to live performance.

De-Phazz CDs
	Days of Twang (2007) \| 2 CDs \|\| LISTEN Buy CD at AMAZON
	Natural Fake (2005) \| LISTEN \| DESCRIPTION: A sexy lounge cocktail atmosphere with a combination of Bossa Nova Rhythms & Jungle would best describe Natural Fake. TRACKS: 1.Un ange passe \| 2.Waste of Words \| 3.Astrud Astronette \| 4.Stumble \| 5.Depression Royal \| 6.Eternity is... \| 7.Rise & Shine \| 8.Excursion en mer \| 9.Love is Natural \| 10.Car Eats Town \| 11.Keep It Simple \| 12.Who the Pop Cares? \| 13.Backstreets of My Mind \| 14.Multicolored Destiny \| 15.Make Heaven My Home \| 16.Message to the Cool \| 17.Close to Jazz \| 18.Garbo Goodbye Buy CD at AMAZON
	Plastic Love Memory (2002) \|\| LISTEN Buy CD at AMAZON
	Daily Lama (2002) \|\| LISTEN \| DESCRIPTION: The fourth album for the German dance act is a pleasant cocktail combining dub, disco, soul, jazz, electronica, loungey Zulu-Grooves, a touch of Dancehall & every possible Latin-rhythm. The follow-up to 2001's critically acclaimed Death By Chocolate. Buy CD at AMAZON
	Death by Chocolate (2001) \|\| LISTEN \| REVIEW: De Phazz are a Heidelberg-based combination of composers, arrangers, musicians and vocalists who play their own mixture of easy listening, cool jazz, Brazilian exotica--and even a splash of dancehall reggae when they feel like it. Death By Chocolate is actually a little less playful than their last album Godsdog. The humorous samples are still there but remain more in the background, while the foreground is taken up by quirky but lovable music and witty lyricism. The anchors of the project are producer Pit Baumgartner, songwriter Pat Appleton and composer Otto Engelhard, though the featured artists run to about 20 personnel and cover a wide variety of bizarre names and great instruments. There's a love of irony and irresistible, feel-good music throughout this album that keeps it buoyant and captivating throughout. And the range of sounds and moods is quite dazzling: gleeful, insouciant humour on "Something Special ("You' re So Special--Just Like Anybody Else" sings Appleton), subtle reggae licks on Nu Chic and Sabbatical, upbeat club thumps on "Better Now", downtempo jazz of the title track and overt bossa rhythms and French lyrics of Jeunesse Doreé. A little like being at a retro cocktail party, sipping on outrageously decorated drinks and indulging in flirtatious lounge chat, Death By Chocolate is certainly a good way to go. ~ Review by Paul Sullivan Buy CD at AMAZON
	Godsdog (1999) \|\| LISTEN \| REVIEW: With deep chunky rhythms and smooth, minimal male and female vocalists, De-Phazz's second album provided interesting vibrational funk in the most unexpected of environments. Although highlights "The Mambo Craze" and "April Shower" sometimes threatened the comic precociousness of Wevie Stonder, Godsdog's awkward mixture of German soul and trip-hop was once again satisfying, considerably improved from the forced feel of 1997's Detunized Gravity. ~ Dean Carlson, All Music Guide Buy CD at AMAZON
	Detunized Gravity (1997) \|\| LISTEN Buy CD at AMAZON