Released in November of 2006 to commemorate their first joint appearance, Z'EV and David Linton each contribute an original track and a remix of the other's work to form this intriguing and unusual album.
Z'EV begins briskly with "Soliloquy #1." Unlike some of his other work, drumming isn't necessarily the focus here. On top of a recording of a live performance, Z'EV cuts up a first Gulf War-era sermon delivered by Reverend John MacArthur and rearranges his words in a way that the reverend would surely find sacrilegious. Phrases like "hate God's violent ways" and "God is out of control" illustrate religious hypocrisy in a way that's both funny and true at the same time. Z'EV constructs "Not Nil" using files provided by Linton, and it's a harrowing journey that is quite different from much of Z'EV's other material: stark electronics both airy and tense move into a denser, claustrophobic space, and finally absolve into contemplative overtones accompanied by crackling.
Linton takes the reins from here and continues in this vein with his own live contribution "Emerald Portal Excerpt Part 1." Here, heavy bass grounds floating overtones until a subtle wash of electronics permeates the surrounding space halfway through the track, blissfully submerging the sound as it swells to fill every corner of the room. In contrast, Linton's remix of audio Z'EV provided comes across as a slow but heavy techno anthem. I've never heard Z'EV in this context before, and it is certainly an amusing diversion even if it goes on a little longer than necessary to get its message across.
This album is a thoroughly enjoyable cooperative experiment that shows different sides of both artists, making it the sort of unique document one hopes for when musicians of this caliber work together.
samples:
- Z’EV - Soliloquy #1
- Z’EV - Not Nil
- David Linton - Emerald Portal Excerpt Part One
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