snobb One-and-half decades after the album's original release, it is easy to say that "Knee-Deep In The North Sea" is one among genre-defining albums of English nu-jazz in the first decade of the new Millennium. Young quartet's debut album combines airiness and lightness of the genre's classic Nordic nu jazz from late 90s, adding more tunes and some meat to songs, making them sounding more British. More important - even on the English burgeoning nu jazz scene of the time, Portico Quartet were a stand-alone figure, mostly because of their use of "hangs"(or Caribbean-style tin-pans) and their music strongly influenced by renown minimalists.

Fate would have me hear Portico before the release of their debut, just a warm sunny day playing right in the Downtown square. It's catchy melodies and characteristic tin-pan sound was what attracted a lot of people to stay near and listen to their music with smiles on their faces. After repeated listens to their recordings, one can find that there are lot of influences from around the world, including from China to South Europe, and some free improvisation as well. Still, this debut album sounds quite accessible, and in the time of it's release was positively received much wider than only in jazz lover's circles. The 2011 reissue added three live tracks and offered a remixed sound.

A decade later, specific Portico early music's sound influenced all of the new generation of electronic sound adopted by nu jazzers, with their love for repetitive minimalist songs. Portico themselves, after a few releases in a similar style switched towards a more electronic sound with only partial success and nowadays still trying to find a new ground working as "two-members quartet". Their debut album however most probably will stay in history as one of most influential English early nu jazz releases.

snobb Brits Portico Quartet always had very special place on British nu jazz scene since they arrived more than a decade ago. Among very firsts in a genre their sound was closer to Brian Eno ambient than melodic chamber jazz/songs-oriented soft fusion of their scene's colleagues. But even more important - their ambient-jazz was very organic thanks to the use of exotic "hang"(form of steel-pan) instead of modern electronics of more club-oriented bands.

They received an early fame and some decline, changes in line-up and hardly successful flirting with vocal-based pop. With "Memory Streams" they return back to basis and it's their true return to form of sort.

Oppositely to their very early releases, band's fans wouldn't find an unexpected sound and very new music in general; on Portico's new album they play mostly everything they already played before. But they do it well.

Very melodic well executed "organic" ambient jazz,very accessible and often balancing on the dangerous edge with "elevators music" but fortunately never crossing the border. Not really a listening for one's brain but simply beautiful music for many's heart.

Band's traveling Europe with new program these days so don't miss your chance to see them playing live.

dreadpirateroberts 'Knee-Deep in the North Sea' is a great nu-jazz debut and might well introduce the 'hang' to some listeners, a percussive instrument that sounds like a highly dynamic steel drum.

Portico Quartet play a relaxed and at times brooding 'nu-jazz' led by Jack Wyllie's sax, which has a mostly melodic function rather than dissonant one.

At times the songs grow quite sombre, especially on a piece like the title track, which sounds a little like a precursor to ideas which will be revisited on 'Clipper' from the band's second album.

There are more frantic moments throughout, where the rhythm section really get to thump along for a bit, but these moments are used sparingly, such as during the latter parts of 'Zavodovski Island.'

I really enjoy this album, though their follow-up 'Isla' is my pick from the Portico discography.

Sean Trane Third studio album from the Portico Quartet, now famous for their use of the Hang drums. Through a very un-committing artwork (presenting their names broken down, multiplied and colourized, the quartet still features the sax as the lead instrument, and if their signature instrument (the Hang) is a bit less present, you’re still unmistakably in the usual Portico soundscapes in the first half of the album. However things tend to change dramatically for the second part and veer very post-ambient.

The group still dishes out the same kind of exciting, but thoughtful fusion as they did in their first two albums, yet managing to renew themselves sufficiently to avoid repetition. Some tracks are more reflective and calmer, sometimes even approaching some post-rock soundscapes (Spinner), others developing some strong electronic elements first (start of Rubidium), then veering post-minimalist (the second part of Rubidium). At times, the album also bears an ECM reminiscence that enters the post-rock minimalism mix (Hot Climates). A bit surprising is the Bjork-like vocal appearance of Steepless. The mixed electronic moods (In some weird Tortoise way) continues 4096 Colours and onwards to the closing Trace.

A fairly different album from Portico Quartet, where the signature Hang drum is much less present and the second half has little to do with their usual soundscapes, but is no less spellbinding, but in a very different manner.

dreadpirateroberts Portico Quartet’s self-titled release is marked by a shift in sound toward more ambient territory. The electronic aspects, handled by nearly the whole group, sometimes approach soundscapes, often add texture to their nu-jazz, and ultimately dominate the album. They don’t always make for totally compelling moments, such as ‘4096 Colours,’ and the brief, sketch-like pieces, but there’s a consistent down tempo mood to the album.

Overall this electronic development is hardly negative, though I did find myself responding immediately to standout pieces like ‘Ruins’ or ‘Spinner’ and ‘City of Glass’ due to their similarities to material on the quartet’s previous album, 'Isla.' Wyllie’s saxophone once again carries the melody on these pieces, with the distinctive Hang still playing an important (if reduced) role. Of course, it might be a little unfair that I gravitated to these tracks, but not surprising, I liked 'Isla,' so naturally I’ll like similar songs from its follow-up.

Conversely, the stronger ambient-influenced pieces were really enjoyable too, steps away from jazz perhaps, but still great stuff – like the almost harrowing ‘Window Seat,’ which is at times droning or pulsing but mostly (and clearly) dealing with ideas of isolation. ‘Rubidium’ is a little similar, with a slow build of tension that leads into a jagged bridge demonstrating the band’s further exploration with forms different to their previous release. The sketches seem to inhabit similar roles on the album, but fall short of ‘Window Seat’ and ‘Rubidium.’

So while this is thematically consistent, ambient nu-jazz, there’s a dip in the compositions across the ten pieces. The album might have been better served by one more cohesive song as opposed to the sketches and its least successful moment, ‘4096 Colours’ which plods through its reverb before just sort of dissipating – but there’s still a lot to savour. Fans of ambient music might want to try this one out, along with nu-jazz fans who like their electronics – keeping in mind that it’s an organic if cold sounding electronic element. Fans of Portico Quartet’s ‘older’ sound might be thrown at first, but the changes aren’t insurmountable. Keep listening.