Turntable soul music just got amplified

Max TamahoriArts and Entertainment EditorAfter hearing several KCRW DJ’s play Belleruche’s “270 Stories” more than that many times over various broadcasts, I guessed this had to be a must-hear record.  Anyone with even an inkling of soul in them will agree.Belleruche is one of those groups whose sound is a tasty amalgamation of genres that don’t at all overwhelm each other — a sound one might call turntable-soul-hip-hop; the band itself says its music sounds “like Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Christian and Cut Chemist stuck in a dusty second-hand record store with rum and a sampler.”Heavily influenced by early blues and jazz records and seasoned with a healthy sprinkling of instrumental hip-hop, “270 Stories” (the group’s third studio release) embodies music’s perennial ability to dissolve and coalesce into expressive new forms of originality.  The rich, raw, rarified voice of Londoner Kathrin deBoer is supported throughout the album by the New Zealand-born guitarist Ricky Fabulous’ simple, fuzzed, wah-wah-ed riffing and Southerner DJ Modest’s impeccable taste in jazz and hip-hop samples.Every track is outstanding, but check out “Fuzz Face,” “Shudder and Cry,” “Clockwatching,” “Ginger Wine,” and “Gold Rush” for an even representation of the various grooves Belleruche can put on.  “Fuzz Face” and “Clockwatching” bring a lively, upbeat vibe to the table while “Shudder and Cry,” and “Ginger Wine” are windows into the band’s earthier, more soulful sound.  And “Gold Rush” is officially the “artsiest” and most “yeeeeah” track to which to perform the cruising-hydraulic-car tableaux.“270 Stories” hit the shelves of your nearest record store (if those even exist anymore) last week, so finding a ten-dollar bill somewhere could make your weekday homework crunch a bit more bearable.mtamahori@thesamohi.com