For those who don't frequent the sites of MP3-only, Creative Commons-licensed netlabels, Jan Gleichmar's Jahtari is a go-to virtual imprint enamored with the long-departed sounds of 80s digital dub and dancehall reggae. Since 2004, his simulated 7" releases both there and elsewhere in the netlabel world built up enough of a reputation to warrant this physical release to showcase his balmy eight-bit informed productions.
From rigid digital steppers to syrupy classic video-game console versions, Foundation Bit provides ten immensely gratifying tunes that could have easily come to us via time capsule as much as a modern bedroom studio. At least half of the material on this, a compilation of some of his best cuts as Disrupt, was previously available for free through Jahtari, though Gleichmar wisely "deleted" those tracks in advance of this new CD for free-spirited independent Werk Discs. That strategic move could serve as a good business model for other artists coming up through these legitimate online file-sharing communities.
Gleichmar clearly romanticizes not only the history of Jamaican music but also a now-quaint sci-fi futurism embraced by many of his predecessors, often fetishizing through the use of speech samples targeted at trainspotting geeks. "Blast You To Bits" and "Bomb 20" achieve this with almost comical effect, though their sturdy foundations keep them tough enough. While "True Creators" nods appreciatively in the direction Sheffield bleep legends LFO, pilfering the robotic hook from "We Are Back," "The Stars My Destination" sets its sights firmly on dub pioneers like King Tubby and Scientist. Similarly, "THC 1138" channels King Jammys' classic Sleng Teng vibe with a suspiciously accurate mechanized bass tone, straddling a dangerous line between homage and emulation like much of the material here between.
The digipak offers little information about the artist or anything else for that matter, an especially frustrating problem when I came upon "Jah Red Gold And Green," the best track of the bunch. Thanks to an official Wackies CD-R that I snagged one fine afternoon at Jammyland, one of New York's best shops for reggae music, I was already familiar with a vocal take of this track done recently by Wilbur "Stranger" Cole, known by many ska collectors for his work in the '60s. Although the version here features a brief echoed snippet of Cole's verse, I am unable to determine if this is an original Disrupt riddim or a homemade remix. While it does not take away from the track's wondrously simplistic melody, dissonant deepness, and gratuitous SID chirps, it leaves me second-guessing as to whether or not I actually like Disrupt's Foundation Bit or just his blatantly demonstrated adoration for his influences.
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