I can simply not overstate how engaging, inventive, and intriguing this song is. A multi-faceted journey of acid jazz with fascinating atmospheres, a rock-solid rhythm section, and a saxophone solo so hot, it can melt the paint off the walls.
Luca Bianco, professionally known as Marlon Bianco is a London-based multi-instrumentalist and composer who moonlights as a melancholic cyberpunk. His music is full to the brim with the grandiose musical statement that’s expected from acid or electronic jazz, courtesy of colorful and dramatic chord progressions, along with a vaporous vibe, courtesy of cloudy, synthetic pads, and a tight, driving groove that gives this piece a cinematic aura. You can easily imagine James Bond driving his open-top Aston Martin in a slow-burning car chase along some luxurious southern European coastal road with ‘Planet Coronet’ playing in the background.
Other than the lush composition, the wonderful melodies, fitting choices of synth, and a deeply, deeply gratifying rhythm section, one can never fail to see that the true shining star of Planet Coronet is the fantastic saxophone performance, delivered by Jonny Chung. A medley of Latin beats takes us entirely away from the established groove, setting a wholly different syncopated groove and making it a base for the sizzling sax solo, before the section ends abruptly and the song is transformed back into the main groove. This whole shift and return is sudden, exciting, and satisfying, as its abrupt ending introduces a shock factor, before the tightness and familiarity of the original groove very quickly take us back to continue grooving along with it, somehow twice as hard.
‘Planet Coronet’ is an all-engulfing experience that’s as fulfilling and approachable as it is cool and left-field. Marlon Bianco’s drumming, bass playing, and songwriting are at full swing, creating an uber-tight instrumental, before Jonny Chung’s saxophone makes the journey whole with some of the nicest lead playing in my recent memory. This song is a trip that’s not to be missed.