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Vibes4YourSoul
"ambient and downtempo, poetic melodies ...undoubtedly delight most fans"
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Jazzwise
4 Stars
"lush, orchestral samples, languid grooves and a sophisticated facility for channelling the chill...spiritual jazz masterpiece"
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Virgin Music
“the album is able to hold its own throughout due to Stuart McCallum altering the initial sounds and warping them into something that isn’t totally unrecognisable. Fans of The Cinematic Orchestra will appreciate the familiar yet ever so differing territory.”
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All Gigs
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“This record is a stunning, self assured work that showcases someone who has mastered their trade and is completely comfortable with his style.”
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Vanguard Music
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“This carefully filtered collection of ten recordings is a perfect example of how McCallum has refined his music and like a great Scotch proves that in the hands of an artist the perfect blend is one ‘Distilled’.”
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“an intoxicating shot of spirit, but it's also highly refined and filtered. Those with a penchant for more idiosyncratic overtones may be left wanting, but this album nonetheless does a sterling job of encapsulating the cutting edge of the UK Jazz scene”
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BBC.co.uk
"Phrases resound with a shimmering vibration, underscored by sympathetic arrangements."
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“Distilled – dreamy, trippy, downtempo instrumentals...the lush semi-orchestral settings”
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HiFi choice review Stuart McCallum - Distilled


07 December 2011
HiFi Choice
4 Stars

Manchester - Based guitarist and composer, Stuart McCallum admits to having a diverse selection of artists who have influenced his work, from Wes Montgomery to Bjork.
McCallum is probably best known for his work with The Cinematic Orchestra and the music here contains distinctive melodies, bass lines and drum beats, with electronica enhanced by elegant orchestral writing. It is not a million miles removed from some of fellow Mancuninian, Vini Reilly's work.
On this 24-bit recording, the music sometimes has an almost dream-like, filmic quality, but there is nothing ethereal about the clarity with which McCallum's guitar is presented nor the way the detailed and lush ambient accompaniment is portrayed.
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