Translation of the German review

With the album Art In Tone, the Hungarian masters of perfect sound have recorded an analog album with some of their best songs after 30 years of band history. They visited the ARTONE Studio in Haarlem (Netherlands), which belongs to the Record Industry pressing factory. The four sides of the analog recording session were recorded as a direct cut at 45 rpm using DMM (Direct Metal Mastering). In addition to the possibility of creating analog master tape copies, the parallel tape recording had the advantage that each take could be listened to directly from the tape. ARTONE Studio technicians Rinus Hooning and Martijn Schouten worked closely with Djabe's sound engineer and bassist, Tamás Barabás.

With elements of progressive rock, soul, funk, rock, and jazz, Djabe offers an excellent mix of styles. The instruments were recorded perfectly, such as Tamás Barabás' bass, which has a great brilliance. Péter Kaszás' drums shine with great expressiveness. Zoltán Bubenyák's keyboards are present in the right proportions, as are Attila Égerházi's guitars. The icing on the cake is the trumpet by Áron Koós-Hutás, who fits perfectly into the accompaniment. The last track features the guitar of Steve Hackett. The band members are very well attuned to each other and lead through the tracks and the album with aplomb.

The album begins in a very relaxed progressive rock style with Clouds Dance. Tamás Barabás already shows his potential on bass at this point, followed by a captivating interplay between the trumpet of Áron Koós-Hutás and the keyboards of Zoltán Bubenyák. The track Turtle Trek is introduced by a funky bass and moves into a denser song pattern with a trumpet, keyboard, and bass solo. And again, it is the fabulously played bass that introduces Distant Dance. The trumpet takes over with fanfare-like sounds that remind me of a circus melody. Attila Égerházi's guitar solo changes the sound to rock, after which the keyboard brings a jazzy atmosphere into play. The style continues seamlessly with Lava Lamp: Over the delicate trumpet and guitar solo, followed by an equally delicate bass and drum solo, this song captures me like no other before it. Two Little Snowflakes is a more harmonic track, which is smoother and has fewer accents than the previous ones. Funk and jazz elements predominate in Deep Lights. Buzzy Island is more upbeat than the previous track and goes one better: jazzy solo lines run on the beat and funk of the rhythm section. This track is my favorite of the album. The acoustic guitar invites you to dream on the less highlight-laden track Island. On Beats Of Haarlem, Tamás Barabás' bass and Péter Kaszás' drums show how two instruments can deliver real fireworks. The finale In That Quiet Earth follows without interruption with Steve Hackett's flowing guitar, which was recorded from a tape recorder.

The warm and balanced analog sound makes my heartbeat faster. I can hardly get enough of this music and am delighted that this edition consists of two tapes with a total of 65 minutes of music. This album is perfect in every way, leaves nothing to be desired and is therefore a must have for all tape lovers.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)