Released on vinyl for the first time ever, Seravince's 'Hear To See' album receives a long overdue presentation courtesy of the excellent Amsterdam-based Wicked Wax label.
Initially released in 2013, Vincent "Seravince" Helbers crafted something of a contemporary classic with his incredible project that served as a masterful amalgamation of genres and styles from jazz to broken beat and nu-soul. With all of the awesome music that Helbers has been a part of over the years, 'Hear To See' has long been a project that many people have held particularly dear.
The prolific musician and producer whose magical touch can be found across a wide range of albums from names including José James, J. Moods Quartet and Robert Mitchell 3iO. Whether he's operating under his Flowriders guise - of which his classic album 'R.U.E.D.Y.' also saw its deluxe reissue in 2019 via Mr Bongo - or through his work as Seravince, his name is synonymous with crafting stunning pieces of music. Of further note would be the release of 'Junk Love' with friend and collaborator, Tjerk "LYMA" Lammers, for their seven-track project from earlier this year and saw the pair cleverly dissect the digital era of modern love across a typically broad sonic palette.
Pulling together a fantastic array of artists, 'Hear To See' boasts some excellent guests throughout who really help to make this album the masterpiece that it is. Providing drums throughout the whole album is frequent Helbers collaborator, Richard Spaven - himself well-versed in his ability to transcend pieces of music from broken beat to nu-jazz which really make them a dream team for this project. With Spaven also appearing heavily on the aforementioned 'R.U.E.D.Y.' album, another project listeners should absolutely explore is their union on the Helbers-produced 'Broken Cycles' album by Ntjam Rosie (2017) which is another genuine treat.
US vocalist Renée Neufville, from 90s R&B duo Zhané and vocalist for Roy Hargrove's jazz-funk outfit The RH Factor, guests on some of the album's highlights including 'Perfect Stranger' and 'U Love', sharing vocal duties throughout the album with the incredibly versatile and multi-faceted Sharlene Hector and singer and rapper, Esperanzah Denswil. With these artists forming the core of the project, there's still room for some excellent guests including bassist Rob Mullarkey and guitarist Marcus Machado amongst others.
It's inspiring that seven years later a project the calibre of 'Hear To See' is still in the conversation and still receiving the credit it's due for being the progressive and forward-thinking album that it is. For vinyl heads, this release must come as a real treat and with copies limited, be as quick off the mark as possible and capitalise on this wonderful opportunity to reconnect with an album we hope to be celebrating again in another seven years.
Great review, much appreciated!
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