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Herbert: Bodily Functions

Matthew Herbert likes processes, rules, and parameters. He has a manifesto for how he records music-- no sampling other artists, no drum machines, no synths. It sounds mighty ascetic, but the prolific Brit has been responsible for some of the past decade-and-change's most natural-sounding dance music. 1998's Around the House saw him incorporating household sounds; 2001's Bodily Functions moved inward, building songs from samples of the human body. It was easily Herbert's most audacious idea at that point.

Bodily Functions is even more stretch-your-legs-out luxurious than House. The beats don't sound like flatulence, belches, or growling stomachs, but there is something very organic about the record. The drums feel squishy, the rhythms are padded, and everything moves with an elegance that most house could only dream of (no drum machines, remember). "e;Leave Me Now"e; and "e;You Saw It All"e; are relatively raucous stompers fashioned from gasping snares and wet rattling, while the very strange "e;Foreign Bodies"e; is like early Ricardo Villalobos mapped out in human flesh.

It's as much of a jazz album as a house album. Around the House already had plenty of jazz leanings, but this record makes them explicit-- horns that sigh like deep exhales, scrumptious, meaty bass. The album is punctuated by brief meanderings away from house, like the cocktail lounge opener "e;You're Unknown to Me"e; or the straight-up "e;I Know"e;, which is four and a half minutes of pure jazz vamp with Herbert's own delectable piano work. These pieces serve to open the album up into its inviting, expansive whole.  

Bodily Functions also continued Herbert's fruitful collaboration with Dani Siciliano, a smooth singer whose jazzy inflections go well with this album's tasteful house. She's as much the star of Bodily Functions as Herbert is, her pleasantly husky voice inhabiting the album's warm atmosphere. Her calm, gently emotive personality makes tunes like the masterful "e;It's Only"e; agonizingly ambiguous. She wrings layer upon layer of feeling from the wry kiss-off "e;Leave Me Now,"e; commanding "e;never call again"e; but later asking "e;be the friend I never knew."e; The lyrics are equally clever, mixing the lexicon of life science ("e;Foreign Bodies"e;) with subtle commentary on relationships and interpersonal interactions. 

Bodily Functions' supple texturing, smooth demeanor, and pop songcraft have made it timeless, a gem so well-polished you couldn't ever imagine it accumulating scuff marks. So the reissue acts as more of a reminder than a rediscovery, packaged with a second disc that includes compilation track "e;Back to the Start"e; (which could have easily landed on the album), as well as a number of period remixes. Highlights include a stunning cover by Jamie Lidell and strong remixes from Matmos and Plaid.

For well-versed Herbert fans, the reissue offers few revelations, though it is nice to have the whole period collected into one package. There are a few new bits, however, including a Dave Aju remix of "e;Foreign Bodies"e; and two remixes from Pampa boss and consummate weirdo DJ Koze. His take on "e;You Saw It All"e; capitalizes on the album's odd movements and springy textures, but it's his version of "e;It's Only"e; that really hits home. Koze's work here is pretty transparent: he hollows out the beat and mixes up the vocal, and then puts a monster bassline underneath, sloping down at a sharp right angle just when you expect the chord progression to ascend. 

With Bodily Functions, Herbert made a gorgeous jazz-pop album from recordings of human bodies and a few instruments-- but he also made one of last decade's most important dance albums. An enduring album that still sounds singular, Bodily Functions floats far above the trend-obsessed nature of dance music.