tra006 Velben – Formless / LP/CD

"Velben is one of the freshest new dudes outta Detroit via Scandinavia. Raw honest soul music. We need more of that shit."
- Rich Medina / Kindred Spirits

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"This is that real soul music for the new millenium. It's the sound that real music lovers have been starving for."
- Cosmo Baker / The Rub NYC

"Incredible Detroit soul from Velben -- an artist who may not be as well-known as some of his contemporaries on the scene, but who really bursts forth with a tremendous sound on this debut! The record's got a feel that's just wonderful -- a blend of blurred beats and basslines, crispy keyboards, and flanged-out vocals that are compressed nicely down in the mix, yet come through with a sense of warmth and soul that's really amazing. There's a subtle sense of poetry in Velben's music -- much more so than we're used to hearing on a record like this — and amidst some of the fiercer, more electronic bursts of sound, the vocals anchor the groove wonderfully, and give it a solid focus that makes for one hell of a great little record. And although the length of the set is just over a half an hour, the tunes are so great that Velben manages to get more into a short record than most artists do in a much longer one!"
- Dusty Groove America

"Very nice album, soulful gem!"
- Michael Reinboth / Compost Records

"Sometimes you come across music that commands you to stop and listen. It demands your full attention and concentration to truly understand and appreciate its depth and artistry. Formless, by Velben, is such music. Formless is the perfect word to describe this seven track EP. Not because it lacks structure but, because it is organic and at times flows like spoken word. Formless is gritty, urban, and poetic. The lyrics are often figurative instead of literal. This musical offering is refreshing and makes you open your mind to be carried where the melding of the words and music are meant to take you. The vocals are not the strongest but, the music and production is most assuredly on point. The synergy and relationship between the music and vocals create Formless’ mood and message.

On each track, the music draws you in and the lyrics keep you. ‘Better Days’ has solid production with an infectious beat. It puts you in the mood of riding on a train in your own world, in your own mental space deep in introspection about life. With a positive message of optimism Velben croons, “Though you see me dancing to my own drum I still remember where I came from.” ‘Come Around’ is a jazz infused, smooth, almost ethereal daydream of infatuation. It describes how you feel when you wrap your mind around someone and can’t let go. ‘Travelin Man’ is a thought provoking and somewhat spiritual funky groove. It has an effective blend of electronic instruments, sound effects, and drum beats. ‘About Love’ is a light simple jam where Velben breaks down the concept of love saying, “When it’s good it’s good, when it’s bad it’s bad”. ‘Starchild’ is intricate and complete, epitomizing Velben’s style. The crisp use of piano, the garnish of guitar, a pleasantly paced bass line, and blending of effects make this track stand out. The spoken word style of the lyrics describe life as: “using the knowledge of the planets to live everyday”. Velben ends with ‘Kings and Queens’, a smooth musical trip encouraging us to carry ourselves as kings and queens reminding us that “we are all brothers and sisters through God”. Formless is definitely an interesting listen that will make you think and groove."
- Raniers Simons / Nu-Soul Magazine

"True story. I sent a speculative message to D’Angelo via Myspace to ask whether he would be interested in being interviewed for Underground Soul and I received a response, almost immediately, that said D was not doing any promo at this time but instead had I heard of a bloke named Velben? Well no I hadn’t actually, and there was summin' fishy about his response, namely that it came direct from him. But still, I figured, what the hell I'll check out this dude Velben anyway. Glad I did, because Formless is a blissed out, half hour excursion into pleasantville.

From Detroit, Velben was born with the wicked name Estervelle Bennett Jr and vocals reminiscent of both Vikter Duplaix & Maxwell. Each of the 7 tracks on Formless is given a dreamy, futuristic sound with a nod to mid 90’s R&B. It's impressive, given the vibed out nature of the productions, that the song is never lost in the flow. Even more surprising that (with 1 exception) each song has a different producer. The first full track Better Dayz is blessed with ethereal harmonies and a seductive trance like hook, Come Around carries on the freshness with insistent beats and waves of melodic backing vocals. The reflective, inspirational Travellin Man with it's Christian lyric has a funk strut that you can't imagine someone wearing sandles having. About Love is the standout of the EP, simplistic but effective (isn't that often the way), skilled vocal arrangements and a melody that rattles around the skull. Pushed hard for the crown by Starchild (Blue Mile Mix). Beginning with a piano intro that could have been swiped from an Ennio Morricone score (not without a gunfight I'm sure) + a sweet melody and double bass bottom that Marcus Miller would happily claim credit for - just all round smoothness.

With updates on Velben's Myspace page suggesting a full set is in the works, we've got much to look forward to from Bennett, who maybe the best thing to come outta Detroit since Dwele.
- Underground Soul

"Velben has always been beyond 2morrow! The vibes are so cyber! There is no form! It's shapeless. It ventures the whole galaxy! I'm enjoying the formless sounds."
- Jneiro Jarel / Lex Records

"K-O-V-A debyytti detroitilaiselta tuottaja-laulajalta! Dweleä, Raphael Saadiqia ja Amp Fiddleri ja vastaavia diggaaville ns. pakkopoisto."
- Lifesaver Records / Helsinki

Traveller Records

tra006 Velben - Formless / LP/CD