Plug Research
This song could easily be one of my favorite songs from one my favoritealbums of last year: the fuzzy music of Dntel's rumbling frequenciesand distorted beats matched with the timid, wistful vocals by BenjaminGibbard of Death Cab for Cutie (thankfully included as the first trackon the EP) in a vividly visual story as surreal and dreamlike as thetitle suggests. This CD EP is set up like a traditional 12" single offour remixes sandwiched in between the A and B side of its own 7"single. While this approach works great for DJs or fans making theirown mix tapes or CDs, listening straight through can be a bit ofoverkill. The first reinterpretation is probably my favorite: it comesfrom Safety Scissors, with the Kings of Convenience singer (Erlend Øye)slightly adjusting the lyrics into a moderately altered story. Themusic is bumpy and reminds me well of that Kings of Convenience remixrecord I adored last year. Barbara Morganstern almost uncomfortablyforces a duet on her take while Superpitcher leaves the vocals just asthey are, but transforms the song into a modern techno anthem a'la theKompakt style. Lali Puna finish the job off by completely removing thevocals and softening the music into something more languid, laid backand cool. Rounding out the EP is the track "Your Hill" which was on thecompilation 'The Asthmatic Worm' (reviewed in June), which would saveany Dntel fan from having to buy an entire compilation for one songpreviously unavailable elsewhere. At the end of each listen, I cancompletely appreciate all the attempts at reinterpretations, but safelysay that none can really touch the brilliance of this song in itsoriginal LP version.
This song could easily be one of my favorite songs from one my favoritealbums of last year: the fuzzy music of Dntel's rumbling frequenciesand distorted beats matched with the timid, wistful vocals by BenjaminGibbard of Death Cab for Cutie (thankfully included as the first trackon the EP) in a vividly visual story as surreal and dreamlike as thetitle suggests. This CD EP is set up like a traditional 12" single offour remixes sandwiched in between the A and B side of its own 7"single. While this approach works great for DJs or fans making theirown mix tapes or CDs, listening straight through can be a bit ofoverkill. The first reinterpretation is probably my favorite: it comesfrom Safety Scissors, with the Kings of Convenience singer (Erlend Øye)slightly adjusting the lyrics into a moderately altered story. Themusic is bumpy and reminds me well of that Kings of Convenience remixrecord I adored last year. Barbara Morganstern almost uncomfortablyforces a duet on her take while Superpitcher leaves the vocals just asthey are, but transforms the song into a modern techno anthem a'la theKompakt style. Lali Puna finish the job off by completely removing thevocals and softening the music into something more languid, laid backand cool. Rounding out the EP is the track "Your Hill" which was on thecompilation 'The Asthmatic Worm' (reviewed in June), which would saveany Dntel fan from having to buy an entire compilation for one songpreviously unavailable elsewhere. At the end of each listen, I cancompletely appreciate all the attempts at reinterpretations, but safelysay that none can really touch the brilliance of this song in itsoriginal LP version.
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And from the "What the fuck is this?" file comes this CD from JohnRifle. John Rifle is an enigma. He's obsessed with rabbits, as thealbum artwork shows, and pop culture, as the music shows. He's nothappy with the way things are going in this world of ours, and he'staking action. Mostly minimal piano and drum-created music with soundsamples on top, "Fracas Nurture" is a pretty strange and frighteninglisten, completely devoid of warnings or clearances. Most samples aretaken from television source material like ABC News and VH1 Behind theMusic, and the CD is assembled like one long radio broadcast frominside the mind of a lunatic. It's socially conscious, it's got itssights set on many different targets, including the music industry,fame, drug use and the media, and it's completely and totally out ofits gourd. Never has sound collage music sounded this urgent, thisdriven, or this insane. It's like Negativland making the soundtrack fora reality TV/horror movie. Bob Weston recorded this music, and he hasdone an admirable job given how this material could drive anyoneinvolved over the edge. Tom Waits once created a track like this withsamples of Dan Rather, and this is like the dream that track touchedupon fully realized. Occasionally the music takes on a real structure,like on 'Intercom', but not often. Mostly, it's spoken wordperformances, with a little music for good measure. It's a message, notexactly for the faint of heart, that has some music with it. It's agood project (can't really call it an album because it defies even thatmoniker), but needs to be absorbed in doses. This is too much for onesitting. Try it out, though, because it needs to be heard to bebelieved or understood.
Late twenty-something Kåre Pedersen was born in Brazil but raised inNorway where he became an integral part of the local scenes in variousbands, probably most notably with Kåre & The Cavemen (akaEuroboys). A year after their split in 2000, Pedersen began work on'Sideman', his solo debut. I've learned to expect the unexpected whenit comes to music from Scandinavia. Yet I'm still a bit shocked by thecatchy pop and rock hooks of Kåre's tunes (kinda like when I firstopened the insert to discover him holding a gun to his head). Somereference points are easy: Spiritualized / Spacemen 3, psychedelic eraFloyd and Beatles, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, etc. Anders Borne'ssomewhat whiny vocals are a quickly acquired taste but Kåre's (andnumerous Norwegian guests) multi-instrumentation is immediatelypleasing to the ear. Solid drums and fat bass guitar propel the melodicgrooves as they gather layers of guitar and atmospheric swirl. Subtleproduction highlights like piano, slide guitar, horns, bird song andrunning water exquisitely enhance the moods, often building up into awonder wall of sound. The album feels musically happy and upbeat, evenin the blues of "Channel Five". Wearing his heart on his sleeve, Bortneunabashedly confronts the confusion of love on "Sunshine Blues" and"Love Report". You gotta love the organ stabs, guitar soloing and BeachBoys-styled backing vocals of the infectiously giddy "Frank Furius"."Dark of Heartness" ends it all much like it began with "CaptainTrips", a longer track with several minutes of ambient decay/growth.Just another nugget from the Nordic frontiers. 
Over the last few years and few releases on Alien8, Substractif andForce-Inc., young Jirku has been pushing his music into deeperexplorations into post-glitch electro-dub. On this, his fourthfull-lengther, the sounds are simply phenomenal. Lazy beats,constructed from strong bass kick sounds and sharp high-end ticksperfectly compliment languid bass lines and simple keyboard loops. Thesame formula is repeated for different tracks of varying styles—somemore upbeat, like the beefy "Isothermal," or the somewhat harsh,downbeat "Isobaric." Unfortunately, as is the case with all of hisother albums, it goes on way too long. Around the half-way mark (36minutes into the album), the fascination experienced from the openingtracks begins to fade and I long for coffee-shop conversation orheavily drug-induced chill-out room experiences. This could indeed beconsidered "head music" instead of body music, as with listening,there's strong voices in my head telling me to do various things like"Go for a bike ride, Jon;" "Work on your screenplays, Jon;" "Get abetter sound system;" or the always popular, "Update some web pages,damnit!"
Imperial Teen started as the side project of Roddy Bottum, the keyboardplayer extraordinaire of Faith No More. It seemed, almost, that Bottumwas desperately trying to explore some pop rock roots with the band,because although Faith No More had their own hits with 'We Care a Lot'and later with 'Epic', they were definitely nota pop band by any means. So, Imperial Teen began, releasing two albumsthat were seemingly well received by journalists and audiences alike.Now, however, the game plan has changed a bit. Faith No More are nomore, and Bottum has nothing else to concentrate on, so the stops havebeen yanked out and the fun can begin. Hear me: "On" is Imperial Teenat their best, accentuating the pop sensibility while placing their ownkitschy stank on it, and all the while seeming to present it all withtongue planted firmly in cheek. Yes, this is a band that knows not totake itself too seriously, but still plays out the favorites for thereal fans. Things start strong on the CD, but really get underway by'Million $ Man', showing the true colors of the discotheque moment wellwhile including the flavor of the past. The presence and prescience ofproducer Anna Waronker (formerly of That Dog) is definitely felt, asthe pop has a gloss that carries her signature. Not that the band isoutdone or overshadowed by it: they have their own agenda. These songsare crisp, concise, and they make you tap your feet and sing out loudlike the whole world was your shower. It's the perfect rock record foryou to take to your summer cookout, and no one will criticize you foryour personal choice of hot dog. If you don't believe me, check out thepoppy sound samples for a little of that boy-girl harmony simplicity.More than likely not their best work, but certainly a step in the rightdirection.
It'll mostly be fans of Jarboe's contribution to the last few Swansalbums who'll want to get a hold of this. Although it is a collaborativework, the music being created by John Bergin and Brett Smith (ofc17h19no3, Trust Obey and Caul), it's Jarboe who makes her presence felt.The intention was to create a dark, minimal backdrop, over which Jarboewould be let loose to do her worst. This idea is where the album falls for me. After a few tracks it'sobvious the she's doing most of the work, letting the music becomedistant, which, given how her vocals violently divide people, is adangerous idea. I wish sometimes that she could take a back seat, butmost of the music is uninspired and straightfoward...maybe theirkeyboards are mysteriously broken in such a way as to only allow minorchords to be played, who knows? She is a strong and individual vocalist, and is on top form (lyricallyclose to the later Swans stuff "..you suffocate me honey..you'll destroyme, so now I lost you..") , but the unrelenting gloom seems synthetic andquite forced in places. There are some great moments, especially when they seem to be aware ofthis and try different approaches, like the drifting, washy effects onthe opener " The Conversion-Silent", the multi-layered vocals on sometracks, and the once or twice a real musical instrument pops up, but theyjust highlight how a warmer, less clinical approach would have added themuch needed layer of depth. A tour de force for Jarboe fans, though Ijust can't help thinking what could have been achieved had the music beenapproached with the same vitality and inventiveness.
Part of Staaplaat's rigorous CDR re-issue seres, Dan Burke's sonic mayhemnow can be yours at a reasonable price. As CDRs go, it's well producedand not really distinguishable from a regular CD. The title is apt, as the music is all over the place- in a good way.It's a bombardment from start to finish, never really letting up, andconstantly throwing new ideas and snatches of sound at you. He must havea warehouse somewhere filled with endless hours of tapes, and bits, andreels of forgotten films. Whereas any jackass with a sampler can throw endless cut-ups togetherinto and unearthly messy stew, it takes a fair amount of insight andcohesion to get it to work right, knowing when to introduce what, or howabstract sounds relate to each other. Dan Burke's the only musician I'veheard who uses volume as a musical instrument. It seems as important asthe choice of sounds, because he really knows how to build and keep uptension, something which is maintained and holds the thing together. Themost unnerving things are the long field-recordings, or static bits, cos'you can tell he's just waiting to puncture it with somethingear-shattering. Some of it does come-across like a horror-film, with thedirector an old hand at knowing when to pull back and when to throw inthe surprises.
Good music of any kind is a product of taste and restraint. It doesn'tmatter if you're working with a single contact mic or a fullorchestra—if you lack taste and restraint, you won't end up with decentresults. Unfortunately, this collaboration really lacks. I've enjoyedStorey's work in Zoviet France and Rapoon, so this was a let-down. Amyriad of samples and loops are employed, so it's a bit perplexing tofind an overwhelming sameness throughout. I think this arises from thefact that most of the loops seem identical in length, and resultingchunky rhythm confines it from ever going anywhere. Embarrassingcheesiness emerges in the poor attempts to inject a sense of placethrough the use of native music samples—sort of like dark ambient'sanswer to world music. Also troublesome is the appearance of datedsynth lines and choir voices. Poor sound quality plagues the wholething, and really flattens the sound. But I'm not sure that fullersound would make this any better. I would have enjoyed this much morehad it been stripped to a more subtle, minimal approach. There are someinteresting sounds here, but they are overwhelmed by the uninterestingones. At least some restraint was shown in limiting this release to 500copies.
Benjamin Diamond, the strangely overlooked vocalist behind the smashStardust hit "Music Sounds Better With You," has quietly been releasingsome excellent French house singles on his Diamond Traxx imprint.Having enjoyed his solo releases, I was pleased to discover this 12" ofelectro-disco from The Eternals, a group who previously recorded forDaft Punk robot Guy-Manuel's Crydamoure label. "Walk For Me" is a deep,groovy track of warm squelchy bass pads and retro drum hits. Aneffected vocal sample echoes the title of the song repeatedly,sometimes seeming to be a command, other times more of a request orplea. It becomes all too easy to get entranced and lost here. "TheAndromeda Gate" the B side picks the tempo up considerably withcomputer voices spouting statements and status reports over oddarpeggios, haunted synth lines, and a funktastic house beat. During thebreak, the machine seems to take control, but it cannot hold back thebeat for much longer. It's a bit kitschy, but there's definitely anaudience for it. Electroclash fans should keep in mind that beforeAmericans embraced the sound popularized by Fischerspooner and MissKittin (and renamed it for their own purposes), French groups like LesRythmes Digitales and Superfunk were already writing electro-tingedunderground club classics that bubbled over to the mainstream.Therefore, The Eternals aren't trying to jump on our bandwagon. Infact, they're astro pioneers in their own right.
Die Stadt has finally made this limited 12" picture disc available tothe world, originally released at the Mirror performances in April ofthis year. There are certain characteristics to be expected on MirrorLP releases: approximately 20 minutes of a drone graces each side whichcome in quietly, swell and then die softly. There is some sense ofbalance in all Mirror recordings, however, which has kept people likeme addicted and coming back for more. Fans might be alarmed to hear theamount of non-droning abrasive sounds contained herein. Joining thecore duo of Heemann and Chalk this time around is longtime friend andcollaborator Jim O'Rourke, a man who is either loved or hated it seems,with nobody simply on the fence. Subsequently, while the context issomewhat familiar, the sound is much different. Open microphones insidea room open the first side as the drones begin to be set into motion,silently. Perhaps it was a hot day in das haus von Heemann, as I couldswear I'm hearing an oscillating fan move back and forth while somebodyrustles through utensils in a kitchen drawer. The drones are low, slowand bell sounds are kept in the distance. Over time, faster,higher-pitched drones are layered in, vibrating almost like horn soundsor a quickly-bowed stringed instrument. The drones drift off andsuccumb to the microphone recordings. The bell sounds ring in thesecond side and once again join the proverbial drones, along with thetrain engine-mimicing sound of what could easily be breathing throughwind instrument mouthpieces. By the end of the second side, the droneshave taken over as the field recordings give in. Surprisingly enough,this release is limited to a whopping 400 copies! (Unlike previous livespecials occasionally found on eBay in the hundreds of dollars,...)
Three of the most well-known and talented musicians in modernelectronic music reunite to follow up their 1999 release 'The MagicSound of...'. Their newest collaborative effort once again allows thetrio to exhibit their respective distinct styles in a way that is bothamazingly well balanced and beautifully matched. The playfulness andhumor found in both Rehberg and O'Rourke's work is evident, and whencombined with Fennesz' skillful subtlety, create an uncanny convulsivebeauty. The four pieces on 'The Return of...' total just over 40minutes. The first two, "Floating My Boat" and "A Viennese Tragedy"exemplify the all-over decoupage nature of the album. A collage oftwitters and low tones are enmeshed in orchestral touches, which lend aquirky and charmingly outmoded element to the digital noises. "FloatingMy Boat" is a marriage of the slow and the frantic, while theaptly-titled "A Viennese Tragedy" has something melancholic in itsinsectival chirping, metallic and aerial blares, and sublime patches.Also prevalent on this track is a heavy use of organic sounds, and theassembly of all these elements gives the sensation of an adroitlycontrolled chaos, which continues into the third piece, "Riding Again".Along with the final track, "We Will Diffuse You", the album evolvesinto an understated ocean of drones, interspersed by occassionaltwitchy bursts. The album's impishly abrupt ending is also strangelysuitable. 'The Return of Fenn O'Berg', with the charactistic warmth andaccessibility of its collaborators is a welcome one amongst the all-toofrequent distant and overly academic leanings of some artists in therealm of the laptop. Thankfully, some of the most gifted in themicrosound genre have decided to venture outside the ivory tower.
Jim Thirwell's third album under the guise of Steroid Maximus is anepic, cinematic vacation from the razor-gargled industrial pound ofFoetus. The underlying thread of irreverent and sophisticated humor(throughout all of Thirwell's work) is immediately apparent in thealbum title's play against the Futurist (utopian) cover art. Ectopiameans "a morbid displacement of parts." Unsurprisingly, this mostlyinstrumental album splices a multitude of parts: unlikely genres,samples and sounds into a compelling collage. Various parts includestrains of horror strings, sci-fi theremin wailing, jazzy synths, 70'scop-chase rhythm piano, funk drums, whimsical toy whistles, ecstaticswing band crescendos, mournful operatic vocalizations, hawaiiansunrise, gypsy music, and even a straight-up sample of James Bondsuspense-moment near the end, just to name a few. One of my favoriteparts of the disc is "WM ," where a couple of shortwave radio samplesform a bouncy passage over tribal drums and xylophones. Thirwellclearly maintains his proclivity for cartoonish dynamism (he did abang-up cover of the classic Raymond Scott tune "Powerhouse" on 1992's'Gondwanaland'), as the pace rollercoasters throughout the disc's 52minutes. It's an energizing listen, and reminded me at times of IgorWakhevitch , or the soundtrack work of Goblin ('Suspiria', 'Dawn of theDead', etc) and Alain Goraguer ('Fantastic Planet'), with big bandsplash and modern synth lines. Someone needs to hurry up and hire thisguy to start scoring films—or maybe start making movies to go alongwith these soundtracks. 
This second full-length album from New York City's J-Live showcases an increasingly popular brand of hip-hop music: competent, decidedly independent and exciting like a standardized test. I picked up this album because it was touted as an Independent (with a capital "I") parallel to early De La Soul albums and I had heard some of his early tracks which were enjoyable and promising.
Sometimes I wonder when this market overflow of LPD and EKS materialwill lighten up and allow for the fans to catch up. Unfortunately whenthere's scarecely limited releases that spring up terribly often, thisis becoming an increasingly difficult task. Does the words "economicrecession" mean anything to psychotic record pimps like Chris McBeth?Limited to 600 copies, this super-thick LP is described as continuingwhat was introduced on the CD issued last year on World Serpent byKa-Spel, 'Cast O'Grey Skreens.' While the LP is broken up into oneside-long track on side A and two on side B, I personally feel themusic echoes an older style of solo EKS recordings, with whimsicalcalliope-esque music, loops and gorgeous drones, rather than thesomewhat recent trend: a hodgepodge of almost sketchwork-like songsstrewn together as one super-lengthy track. "An Ill Wind" opens with adull roar, builds, then quiets down to a tinkling piano melody, prettyenough to can give any old-school fan goose-bumps. What followsincludes more shimmery instruments swaying along with Edward's vocalpleadings for a miracle. Then comes the unavoidable build-up and returnto the quiet melody again, this time with more haunting coloration andblurring. Side B begins with the 11+ minute "O'Reilly's Comet," with adriving looped pulse which has almost become a signature rhythm for themore experimental loops the Dots are prone to. There are a few momentswhere it picks up to an excited pace, but the 4/4 clanging onpercussive sound effects becomes somewhat monotonous for the duration.Almost predictably, the monotony is overtaken by sheer beauty in the11+ minute closer, "Safer than the Open," where drones of reverberatedvoices are layered with arrhythmic sound effects which give way to athundering few beats, a drop, and a fantastic return with some trulystunning string sounds. If form is more important than function, actquick on this release, as the deluxe package includes loads of goodies,but it might be worthwhile to wait for a forthcoming CD release whichwill hopefully include the tracks from the limited accompanying 7"record and that 10" out last year. Come on, Chris, didn't your mom everteach you to share?
For all intents and purposes, this should have been a horrible mess.The liner notes, written by Cul De Sac muli-instrumentalist GlennJones, outline the tragedy that should have been quite clearly: theband shows up to do a live radio performance at Brandeis University andsuffer circumstances of Spinal Tap-ian proportions. There was verylittle space for the band to perform, they would not be able to see orhear the DJ during the production, and they had little time to soundcheck and would not be able to test their levels before the actualbroadcast began. Again, this should have guaranteed a horriblerecording. Instead, listening to it later, the band realized it was oneof their best live performances, and certainly worthy of release to afanbase rabid for new material. Having never heard Cul De Sac live, buthaving heard their records, it's also one of their best commitments totape. Sure it's sloppy in areas, as live performance can be, andseveral of the tracks go on much too long; but the band plays outadmirably, vibrantly, and without compromise. After all, they thoughtthis would be horrible from the outset. So they pull out the stops andlet loose with a series of tracks that suck you in and drone you out.There are moments of pure melodic beauty on 'Frozen in Fury on the Roofof the World,' dischordant beeps and steady rhythms meeting on thetitle track, the near-hypnotic shuffle of 'Flying Music from Faust,'and slow, deliberate marches to close the disc on 'Blue in E.' The bandruns the gamut, and they're better having survived it. Ultimately, withtwo albums in the works—a soundtrack and a studio album of original newmaterial - these recordings show promise for the direction Cul De Sacis headed towards, as well as serving as the best representation, bytheir own admission, of what the band is about. Sometimes it's prettysurprising what glory can be gained out of utter despair.
Part of the late 70s Manchester scene made popularly acceptable by the'24 Hour Party People' film, Ludus are now given the re-issuecompilation treatment. It's long overdue really, as the majority oftheir material was never given a full CD issue. With digitallyremastered material and over 70 minutes of music, this claims to be the'definitive Ludus compilation'. The truly inventive mix of free-jazz,feminist lyrics, experimentalism and playfulness is a littledisconcerting at first, but the sheer funkiness and playful energystick out a mile. The complex jazz structures and sax skronking add tothe fun, and to top it all, Linder Sterling's stunning, commandingvoice. All the tracks are propelled along with this weird awkwardenergy, jumping between ideas, catching you off guard. Some are justminute long blasts of sax and drums, some could have been pop classics,in the right hands. The only complaint is the decision to put on somelive recordings from a Hacienda performance when studio versions exist,but they are well-recorded and capture some of the audience's awe andnervous fright (Linder has been known to perform in clothes made out ofraw meat..) Most of the tracks, like the highlight 'I Can't Swim I HaveNightmares' have enough hooks and twists for a whole album, and jumparound from groove to groove so fast, that trying to dance to themwould be a safety hazard. Endlessly clever, funky, scary andindividual, this is one of the gems of the Manchester scene.
Mary Timony's second solo effort finds her exploring similar themeswith slightly different sonic partners. Last time it was John McEntireand Bob Weston adding elements here and there, but this time it'sgeniuses of the moment Alan Weatherhead and Mark Linkous ofSparklehorse fame. New textures aside, it's still primarily Timony andChristina Files, though, with the power behind this music, and that'sall it really needs. The themes are very much the same as last time,the lyrics just as affecting. Timony's songs are very occupied with thespirits of the earth, animals, and love and wanting. But they're likemusical fables, with vivid characters in different costumes, like theworks of Edgar Allan Poe set to music. It's all pageantry of sorts, andit's very well executed on "The Golden Dove", more so than in the past.'Dr. Cat' is playful in the beginning and haunting in it's dyingmoments, 'The Owl's Escape' makes the hairs on your neck stand on end,and 'Ant's Dance' is all power and drive, with fantastic sounds andnoises emanating from the speakers (the horns are just plain lovely!).Ultimately, the image of the dove is important as the love that lefther for California, but also as the center image of 'Magic Power': "heyho, how do you go?/how do you get through forty blows?/hey ho, how doyou love/how do you love a dead dove?' The last two tracks leftsomething to be desired, as they served to annoy with the trite imageryon 'Dryad and the Mule' accompanying whistling and handclaps, and thesometimes dischordant mess of 'Ash and Alice' ultimately serving littlepurpose. The 'hidden' track - listed in the liner notes, butapproximately 2 minutes 'Ash and Alice' fades - is a lovely rendition,apparently, of a poem by Henry Lawes and Dr. Henry Hughes. It's afitting end to this album's worth of emotional outpouring, as Timonyseems to ask for requital of her love. An effort like this is certainlyworthy of at least a little praise.
I bought this because I loved the "Shitfuckers!" EP (which I admittedlybought just for the name), and also because the description on theSoleilmoon website convinced me that I could not go wrong. They wereright: once you've been hooked by Aaron Funk's madness, there's nogoing back. From the opening kitschy vibe this album just makes youlaugh. And how could you not, with a Julie Andrews-type crooning in"Dance Like You're Selling Nails" over Funk's freakshow drum'n'bassdemolition? Or the high-speed jazzy meanderings in "Banana Seat Girl"that sounds like a cross between Squarepusher and repeatedlyfast-forwarding and rewinding a DAT tape while it's in play mode? Youknow, where you hear clear bits of the music on the tape, but whicheludes you before it whizzes by. One of the highlights of the album iscertainly "Make Ronnie Rocket", which starts modestly enough withinterspersed dubby MC samples over Funk's characteristic bombasticdrum'n'bass beats. But a minute or so into the track, all hell breaksloose as you're given a spoonful of C4 and forced to watch from theinside while your head explodes. This is not music to tap your foot to,or shake your ass to while you try to pick up chicks at the club. It'snot exactly arrhythmic. It's not exactly asymmetrical. It's not exactlymath-geek music. If you just sit and listen to it, preferably withheadphones or loudly in the car while driving down the freeway, it'sperfectly acceptable to just try to follow the grooves and beats withyour mind. More than likely you'll just find yourself chuckling as Mr.Funk throws another curve. Some of the changes are just plainridiculous. Take "Deadman DJ" for example. Once again the dub MCreturns, his one-liner minced and butchered along with the freneticbeats. Midway through the song, it sounds like it's over, but it picksback up with the MC repeating "Deadman DJ" while a sound like theannoying high-pitched whistle sound that you hear in a lot ofmodern-day slow "rap" music whirs in the background. You know what I'mtalking about. So now you've got a rasta MC backed by cheesy rap noisesand absolutely breakneck d-n-b. How can you not laugh out loud? Youmight not even notice it if you weren't listening attentively. I findthat half the fun is trying to figure out what Funk's sound sourceswere, and just what the fuck he was thinking (I like to imagine that helaughs out loud a lot while he composes). Or better yet, try thinkingas you listen about how you would make this music if it were up to you?The beautiful thing about Venetian Snares is that this is truly musicfor the moment.
It would be rather difficult to review a Nightmares On Wax releasewithout giving in to the temptation of referencing mastermind GeorgeEvelyn's affinity for marijuana, so let's just get that out of the wayhere. Good. Now we can move on. On this first 12" single preceding theupcoming full length 'Mind Elevation', Evelyn presents a radio-friendlytrack full of soulful sounds that outdoes a certain bald-headed NewYorker enjoying more success through sampling and working with popicons than making happy rave anthems. Here we are treated to threeversions: the vocal original, an instrumental version, and a remix onthe AA side. Upon hearing the first 10 seconds of the original, I wasprone to some uncontrollable bouts of serious head nodding and toetapping. While the lyrics don't appear to have any real substance,that's pretty irrelevant and beside the point. DJs who spin abstracthip hop or downtempo will appreciate the instrumental more than theaverage listener, though the Mark Pritchard remix fails to do anythingtoo interesting with the original, and is easily forgettable. Havingalready heard the upcoming album, it is doubtful that any old N.O.W.fans will be disappointed with either release. Besides, they'llprobably too high to complain. OK I'm sorry... I broke my promise. Sowho's gonna get up and order the pizza? Not me. I'm in the comfy chair,man.
Bornelli's instrumental electronic debut is a cross breading of technodub and clicks with added splinters of glitch and a slight groove. Itcomes to us from the relatively new Mitek, a label which attempts tospecialize in electronic hybrids (see Hakan Lidbo in last week's issue)- music difficult to classify (or between the chairs as the coversuggests). The cross-breeding of styles works very well on the tentracks here. "Feminist" and "Vaneigem" even remind me of the classyBasic Channel 12" series with their heavy basslines, clear sounds, anddistinct atmosphere. In addition, present are tactful nods towardsvarious modern styles. Even in "Milieu," for example, subtle echoes ofhouse music chords appear. The last few tracks, especially "Avenue,"are the most daring, with cut-up sounds of voices and a trumpet andprominent distortions in the foreground. These 55 minutes of cultivatedmellow sounds would pass as an easy listening album for most modernelectronica connoisseurs, which is quite an interesting result, but Idoubt it was the artists intention.
