Tosca “No Hassle” Review

Richard Dorfmeister has perhaps irritated quite a few fans by stubbornly refusing to work with Peter Kruder again since their landmark 1998 down-tempo, double-album masterpiece, The K & D Sessions. But fans of Dorfmeister’s that have followed the progress of his next project, Tosca, which he formed with fellow Austrian DJ/producer Rupert Huber, have had nothing really to complain about, as the pair have released a steady flow of records every few years or so since their wonderful 1997 debut Opera. But even fans of Tosca have had a reason to raise their eyebrows as of late, since it’s been four years since the release of their last album, J.A.C., and even that record was met with a bit of a collective shoulder shrug by some supporters that felt the album was a bit to disco-laden and vocal-heavy for their liking, while perhaps holding the duo up to impossibly high standards. But Tosca are finally back with a stellar new record, No Hassle, and it is bound to please listeners no matter what side of the fence you currently find yourself on.

Hardcore fans of the down-tempo genre are already familiar with the instantly recognizable soulful, jazzy sounds that permeate this record, for Dorfmeister has been crafting this well-traveled sonic landscape for years, and he doesn’t stray too far from this familiar territory on No Hassle. But why should he, as this moody aural world he has helped devise seems to be worry free (as alluded to in the title of the new album) and certainly smooth as hell. It’s a meticulously crafted album that is flawless in both it’s production and style, with the songs blending seamlessly into each other while forging an easy atmosphere of serenity and calm amongst the storms of modern living.

For those fans who feel J.A.C. featured too many vocal influences, No Hassle strips a majority of that away (except on the exquisite “Birthday,” where a spoken-word voice only adds to the ambiance of the track), using only small vocal samples throughout while maintaining a hypnotic, electronic sound. Dorfmeister had this to say about the lack of vocals on the record: “This time we decided not to have any lead vocals, but just to take some fragments of sounds that we liked. It’s a very back-to-basics, instrumental approach. The more we listened to normal vocal recordings, the more we didn’t like them. This reduced vocal idea seems to last longer for us.” The album also sways a bit closer to the trip-hop elements of their earlier material, while still maintaining a fresh, futuristic sound. Which is no small feat.

But the sustaining thread throughout the record is the tranquil atmospherics that permeate every song, seemingly creating a cocoon around the listener that drowns out the din of daily life. Huber echoes that sentiment here: “We wanted to make the ultimate one hour of music where you don’t feel like you have to skip to the next track. This is what we’ve been working on all these years. An album to invest one hour of your attention and concentration, almost like an audio massage.” And that mission is certainly accomplished, for while there are standout tracks on the record, like the ominously gorgeous “Joe Si Ha” and the delicate acoustic guitar that guides the resplendent “Rosa,” this is a real unified, polished record in every sense of the word.

A generous amount of space abounds within these tracks, allowing the listener to lose themselves freely, as is the case with any good electronic album. But the real test regarding the strength of the record comes when you examine where the music takes you within that expanse; is it an improvement over your office chair at work, the city bus or the lake you are walking around while listening? Does it add to the environment you find yourself in? And with No Hassle, the answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes. From the subdued opening bass lines of “My First” to the end of the daydream-like fluidity of the title track, this record is a pleasant journey into both sound and space, with tour guides who know their surroundings well.

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