Acoustic Alchemy fans know Fred White as the talented keyboardist who has played beautifully and effortlessly with the Grammy-Nominated UK ensemble for nine years and counting as well as co-writing some of the group’s tunes. But few know that the youngest member of the band has spent the past recent years composing and producing as his musical alter ego, Balam. The debut, 4 FLOORS UP, is a stunningly hip adventure that incorporates groove, vocals, horns as well as style and photography. Balam has created a lifestyle musical movement that takes a deep breath and exhales rhythm, mystery and beauty. 4 FLOORS UP is everything cool about Chill, Lounge, Electronica and Jazz. It’s exciting, adventurous and relaxing all at the same time. Balam has lift… 4 FLOORS UP is a cleverly planned collection of works including 13 intriguing tracks that blend deliciously into each other for the entire 50-minute excursion.

Balam's '4 Floors Up' will probably catch the eye of any artist who has photographic experience or sensitive tastes in both music and photography given the soft sepia tone CD cover depicting the artist himelf walking toward a rustic brick building that could possibly represent the abode that contains the actual '4 Floors Up' to which the title makes reference. The first mystery of this compilation of songs is obvious by way of it's artistic cover presentation, but other mysteries lie within the gamut of music for which this compilation of music covers in variety, complexity of composition that arrives at originality, as well as a simplicity of composition that to any ear that appreciates music is understood as the basic, but softened background noise of rhythm and blues. This album is possibly a representation of the future of Jazz, employing electronic instruments combined with soliloquies by featured artists and their instruments or vocals, including Miles Gilderdale and Greg Grainger of the Jazz act Acoustic Alchemy, Brotha Deep; percussion, Eddie M.; Saxaphone, Suzanne Dee and Keila White; vocals, Cassandra D. Bates; French Horn and Julian Crampton; Bass. The cut 'Hobble' takes the mind to a quite, thought-provoking place through a slow and deep melancholic melody; a song to relax sensory overload from a long day. The melody picks up halfway and stays there throughout the remainder of the song. 'Morass', 'T for Two', 'My Momma Really Ain't Got None' and 'Trip to Know Where' all activate the rhythm and blues sassy side of the human being, and the remaining cuts are a mystery as far as deciding what kind of mood they arouse. Hear it to experience it. All human moods are bound for exposure during this journey to the 4th Floor Up. It's just that versatile. Elaine Davis

To listen balam's album is a delightful musical journey that you get lost in the sound and anything else matters at a moment. You got charmed with every melody, from the sweetest TRIP TO KNOW WHERE, so peaceful and relaxing to the song YOU so sexy or MORASS making you move following the music. Each song makes you feel emotions that you want to feel again and not only for the music, in balam's album you can see wondeful photos taken from Fred White himself making it more personal. 4 floors up is a great album, awesome!!!!

Its sheer delight to listen to 4 floors up by Balam. The mood i felt was seductive and dreamy an impressive master piece with a mix of musicians all grooving together. If you enjoy music that touches the soul this is an album to be in your collection.