feature // Jason Creasey
When I was interviewing Jason Creasey earlier
this year, he sent me two CDs. One of these was his 'showcase' CD
(Maxitures), highlighting excerpts from his strong body of
work covering production-music albums, TV soundtracks and film productions.
The other picked out a few tracks from Family Fantastic -
Jason's occasional project with Vince Clarke and Phil
Creswick - that at this rate seem doomed to languish in obscurity
forever more, along with other tracks that Phil and Jason have recorded.
Jason describes Family Fantastic as something of
a collective - any of the three members can use the name, so long
as at least one other member is also involved. Case in point - Vince
and Phil worked up a sequel to Nice!, where Jason had minimal
involvement, and Phil and Jason have recorded a number of songs
under the moniker, some of which Jason provided me with on this
CD-R. Among these was 'You Are The Melody', a light and breezy pop
track with long-time Erasure backing vocalists Val
and Emma (Val sings lead and both provide backing vocals)
that was submitted as an entrant into the pre-Eurovision 'Song For
Europe' competition in 2000. Sadly, it didn't get through, which
- after listening to the full song - is an absolute travesty: this
a high-energy pop classic which manages to eschew the cheesy pap
dispensed by the likes of Steps and S Club 7 around the same time;
Vince wasn't involved, other than allowing use of his 37B
studio to capture the soaring, euphoric vocals, but you'd swear
he was involved beyond this as the sounds Jason lays down would've
nestled comfortably among Cowboy's rich tones, albeit edged
along by a nagging electro bassline and a heavy beat. Erasure fans
were originally given the chance to hear a 30-second clip of the
track back in 2000 from the then-extant Family Fantastic website;
it's an absolute honour to have the privelege of hearing this track
in it's entirety. 'Coochy Coo', with Phil on lead vocals, would've
sat comfortably on Nice!, given its upbeat disco rhythms
and synth horns. The addition of some Barry Adamson-esque
vibes and strings give this a strong seventies vibe, and Creswick
treats us to a sublime soul-boy vocal.
Hearing Scouse PWL chanteuse Sonia on the
beautifully-arranged non-Family Fantastic demos of 'Betcha' and
'I Wish' was a surprise. On the two tracks, Sonia transcends the
Pete Waterman claims that she was produced by the PWL machine to
prove that he could make anyone off the street a star. Her vocal
has a majestic, strident confidence on these ballads. Sadly a new
recording contract for Sonia did not follow, and these tracks have
remained on the shelf ever since. Phil returns to vocals for the
demo of 'My Way Back Home', which at this demo stage of production
is a swaying piano-driven ballad with sensitive, tender vocals.
The five tracks on this CD-R suggest a whole armoury of superior
pop writing from Creswick and Creasey.
Jason's Maxitures showcase disc runs the
gamut of electronic music styles, from the Cafe Del Mar-esque soaring
ambience of 'Ultralux' (which includes quite a sinister key change)
to the hard robotic synth techno of 'Textural Deviant'. Also included
are tracks from the Extreme Music's African-themed CD Africa
Beatz ('Serengetti Bliss') and the choral electronics of 'Breathe'
from Choral Beats (which actually has a similar feel to the
track with Sonia, 'Betcha'). Two short incidental tracks from the
ITV drama Bliss are featured ('Which Way?' and 'Escape &
Run'), both of which are dark and highly sinister in the same vein
as Can's Irmin Schmidt's music for TV and film. An
atmospheric piano and string piece from the BAFTA-nominated 'Best
Short Film' Tattoo is also profiled, further strengthening
Creasey's soundtrack credentials. 'Hustle Beach' (from Disco
House) is a superfly disco number, while 'Psalm Pilot' thankfully
suppresses any lingering bad memories of OMD's 'Agnes Dei'
by creating a stellar mix of stirring choirs, buzzing synths and
crisp beats.
Overall, what these CDs prove for me very clearly
is that Jason Creasey is an electronic musician who cannot conveniently
be stylistically categorised - from superior mixes for Erasure,
through pop class, dancefloor-hugging grooves, digital ambience,
soundtracks and beyond, Jason Creasey is a master of his craft,
and I sincerely wish him the very best success.
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