Paul Hardcastle Essentials

Paul Hardcastle Essentials

Paul Hardcastle's name is synonymous with electro: His 1985 smash “19” yielded one of history's funkiest anti-war songs by cutting up news broadcasts over shuddering 808s and icy synth stabs. There's more where that came from; “Just for Money” is a whip-cracking tour of slap bass, springy keys, and film dialogue. But he's proved plenty adaptable. “Rainforest”, from 1994, tricks out punchy freestyle in ethereal flutes, and cuts like 1996's “Bird Island” reinvent the UK keyboardist as a smooth-jazz operator, laying silky sax grooves over sparkling acoustic guitars and nimble programming.

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