Beanfield is a trio of German musician/producers allied with the excellent groove label Compost Recordings. The group resides among a generation of dance acts like Faze Action, Fila Brazillia, and A Forest Mighty Black (the latter are close compadres) who balance their status in the electronic community by producing extraordinarily organic sounds, inspired by earthy '70s sounds from funk to Latin and Brazilian jazz to disco. Beanfield formed around keyboard player Tobias Meggle and bassist Jan Krause (formerly with the acid jazz unit Poets of Rhythm), along with Compost label boss Michael Reinboth. All three played heavy parts in the recording and production of the first few Compost records (circa 1995) by A Forest Mighty Black, Knowtoryus, and Fauna Flash. Beanfield's first single, 1995's “Charles,” earned heavy rotation on Gilles Peterson's BBC radio show and gained airplay in the world's more laid-back clubs. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1997, followed by two volumes in a series of remix EPs. Earning even more praise from DJs and critics, Human Patterns followed in 1999. Their latest album, Seek, arrived in 2004.

Review:

Only the third Beanfield full-length to appear during the decade after the group's debut, Seek finds only Jan Krause remaining from the former trio (although he's obviously kept in close contact with Michael Reinboth, head of the Compost label that made this release possible). While comparisons with the four-years-gone Human Patterns may be dangerous, the lush organics of previous Beanfield material have been fused by Krause (and his new partner, Michael Mettke) with much more R&B songcraft and dance than previously; the opener, “Chosen,” is a piece of precise, balletic soul with the off-kilter beats to mark it as a Compost product and a sublime production driven by strings and accordion. Another vocal track, “Someone Like You,” illustrates Krause's skill with a chugging house track. Still, the instrumentals (and a few vocals) weigh this record down. It's during the laborious acid jazz workout “Mr. Park” that Beanfield sounds most like a distant second to Compost veterans Jazzanova in the nu-soul marathon.
All Music Guide – John Bush