Rocket Girl
Randall Nieman cut his teeth in the Michigan space-rock scene playingwith Windy & Carl (then a quartet). Moving on to start a newproject, F?xa, with former Asha Vida member Ryan Anderson, Nieman wasable to fully explore the electronic counterpart to his interests, inaddition to guitar and bass work. Although Anderson his since departed,Nieman has continued with rather prolific output ('Supercharged' marksthe sixth full-length release). The array of instrumentation on thisalbum is all in dreamy hints and touches. The theremin, Moog and synthsnever overpower the guitar, bass and drums, or vice versa. Less trippythan previous efforts like 'Very Well Organized' and less airy than '3Field Rotation', 'Supercharged' draws from both styles, but infusesthem with darker, milder overtones. The first of the eight tracks,"Hide Away" is a prime example. Smoky and magnetic, this song featuresassistance from The Telescopes'/Unisex's Jo Doran and Stephan Lawrie,who lend their low, sparse vocals (something new to F?xa's mostlyinstrumental repetoire), which are submerged into the waftingelectronics. Then, later moving on in a different direction, the thirdtrack "420" is distorted and noisy. 'Supercharged' has a lot ofvariety, but still manages to retain a sense of balance, and is verypolished and even. "It Was You" is another outstanding track,highlighting Nieman's skill for handling analog electronics as well asthat of drummer Drew Peters (another figure in the burgeoning Michiganscene). The result is simple and charming. Unfortunately, thecharismatic beginning of the album just doesn't follow through to theend: "The Formula", "We Could Be Together" and "In Your Dreams" arepretty and quaint, but become difficult to distinguish after the albumreaches its midpoint and lack the character of the songs which preceedthem. That said, I still wouldn't hesitate to recommend 'Supercharged'to fans of F?xa's previous work or anyone who has an appreciation forthoughtful, introspective instrumental music, such as The Album Leaf(on whom F?xa are clearly an influence). Plus, the sublime artwork byMartin Andersen (ex-v23) is an excellent bonus.
Randall Nieman cut his teeth in the Michigan space-rock scene playingwith Windy & Carl (then a quartet). Moving on to start a newproject, F?xa, with former Asha Vida member Ryan Anderson, Nieman wasable to fully explore the electronic counterpart to his interests, inaddition to guitar and bass work. Although Anderson his since departed,Nieman has continued with rather prolific output ('Supercharged' marksthe sixth full-length release). The array of instrumentation on thisalbum is all in dreamy hints and touches. The theremin, Moog and synthsnever overpower the guitar, bass and drums, or vice versa. Less trippythan previous efforts like 'Very Well Organized' and less airy than '3Field Rotation', 'Supercharged' draws from both styles, but infusesthem with darker, milder overtones. The first of the eight tracks,"Hide Away" is a prime example. Smoky and magnetic, this song featuresassistance from The Telescopes'/Unisex's Jo Doran and Stephan Lawrie,who lend their low, sparse vocals (something new to F?xa's mostlyinstrumental repetoire), which are submerged into the waftingelectronics. Then, later moving on in a different direction, the thirdtrack "420" is distorted and noisy. 'Supercharged' has a lot ofvariety, but still manages to retain a sense of balance, and is verypolished and even. "It Was You" is another outstanding track,highlighting Nieman's skill for handling analog electronics as well asthat of drummer Drew Peters (another figure in the burgeoning Michiganscene). The result is simple and charming. Unfortunately, thecharismatic beginning of the album just doesn't follow through to theend: "The Formula", "We Could Be Together" and "In Your Dreams" arepretty and quaint, but become difficult to distinguish after the albumreaches its midpoint and lack the character of the songs which preceedthem. That said, I still wouldn't hesitate to recommend 'Supercharged'to fans of F?xa's previous work or anyone who has an appreciation forthoughtful, introspective instrumental music, such as The Album Leaf(on whom F?xa are clearly an influence). Plus, the sublime artwork byMartin Andersen (ex-v23) is an excellent bonus.
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Anyone who mourned the passing of Otomo Yoshihide's incendiaryplunderphonic rock improv explosion Ground Zero should give 'Anode' ablast now! The opening and closing highly percussive attacks arecomparable to the middle section of Ground Zero's 'Last Concert'recording, where the duelling drums let fly, however these are morechaotic and loose, multi-layered and free. Perhaps this is no surpriseconsidering Ground Zero demolition drummers Uemura Masahiro andYoshigaki Yasuhiro are once more punishing the skins. 'Anode' wasimprovised under the conditions that the twelve musicicans do notrespond to each other, do not plot an obvious course and do not playregular rhythms or melodies. The ten and sixteen minute variations of"Anode 1" are as raucous and cacophanous as you might expect, but arealso more uplifting and joyful than anything I've heard all year. Sixpercussionists skitter and tumble thunderously foot over head as sinewaves wail, an empty turntable buzzes and electric guitar feedbacksings dissonant voids. Sandwiched between are two calm and reflectiverealisations of the 'Anode' game, which nod to John Cage's aleatorycomposition. "Anode 2" is the calm after the storm, as slow randomtrickles bounce off each other in curious lines. It segues neatly into"Anode 3" on which Nishi Yoko's prepared 17-string koto looms into theforeground pursuing a more climactic feel. Familiar names from theJapanorama tour such as guitarist Sugimoto Taku, sine waver Sachiko Mand percussionist Furuta Mari are on board, and in Liverpool a fourplayer version of "Anode 1" was the highlight. Otomo Yoshihide hasreleased a mind boggling number of CDs, usually of very high qualityand originality but some more essential than others. Alongside theI.S.O. CDs, this is the most assured and fascinating he's sounded sincethe demise of Ground Zero in 1998. Half of it's Otomo and friends attheir noisiest, and few kick up such a glorious racket.
'Pell mell' means "in mingled confusion or disorder", a prettybefitting title for this unnecessarily full priced (maybe it's due tothe hand made, compressed paper digipak?) mini album. The disc iscomprised of just two tracks, under 20 and over eight minutes apiece,respectively. With these pieces Robin Storey explores contrastingprocesses. "Trace Area" begins with a mild drone loop which is thenaltered on the fly as additional layers are applied and peeled away. Ittakes a good eight minutes for something really interesting to takeshape - a deep, distant, meditational bass pulse jarred by percussiveracket - but it unfortunately regresses soon after. Near the end of thetrack, effected broadcast voices are tacked on as an afterthought.Compared to the bulk of Storey's work as Rapoon, "Trace" is the closestof these two to the "typical" Rapoon sound. "Pulse Codec" is much morerigid as a programmed rhythm provides the framework for electronicsounds. The beat is rather generic and off-putting right from thestart. Pretty stereo panned piano notes bounce around inside the frame,but the damn drum machine relentlessly overpowers everything else,including your concentration. 'Pell Mell' is the most disappointingRapoon disc I've encountered to date. At least half a dozen newStorey/Rapoon releases are on the horizon from Soleilmoon andKlanggalerie, including collaborations with Victor Nubla (Macromassa)and Andy Diey (Black Faction).
It's nice to be completely surprised and wrong footed once in a while.Until about halfway through the second track "Cricket," I mistakenlythought ol' Derek Bailey was duetting his instantly recognisable(ir)regular angular electric guitar chops with some German laptopboffin. Murky low end rumblings and gurglings form a bedrock for Baileyto ponder pluck loose on top of and around. Then the realisation dawnedthat Franz Hautzinger was getting brooding motormachine revs out of thetrumpet that most lung honkers wouldn't break wind for. There is arange of flatulence in his quartertone that is as amusing as it isuniquely odd. Anyway, three hours of farting about with intent wereedited down for this disc, which is quite likely the first I've everpicked up on the back of the Bailey name alone, despite his uniquestatus in improv lore. Bailey has continually sneaked into my CD pilevia the likes of collaborators such as Ruins, John Zorn, Evan Parker,Matt Wand, Pat Thomas and Thurston Moore, but he's always been welcome.Franz Hautzinger can come back for a rum splutter anytime too. Why doimprov reviewers so rarely mention the funny side?
"Going out intending to Dig." My first encounter with VibracathedralOrchestra was one of those wonderful moments when music materialisedfrom nowhere to blow my mind. I'd travelled over the Pennines to Leedsto hear New York saxnoise insurrectionists Borbetomagus lock horns andattempt to raze a pub, but first these five scruffy looking localurchins picked up battered old acoustic guitars, switched on an oldradio, bowed cymbals and swapped instruments whilst slowly unfurling arapturous improvised clatter that recalled the early Velvet UndergroundAMMing it up with shards of warped minimalist reflection. "FingernailR'n'B." They've since put out quite a few albums, CD-Rs and singles butthe ones my ears have been most happy to vibrate to have been the onesfor the excellent quirky vhf label. This latest is their most melodicand beautifully mind altering dose of hypnotic freedrone folk yet.There's a celebratory Eastern whirling dervish feel to much of it, butas if the dancer was caught in slow motion. "Mystical Coughing." Theentire recording is permeated with joyful abandon as whistles blow lovecries to drone boxes over clumping Maclise beats and atonal "EuropeanSon" monochords, whilst everything that can be bowed will be bowed!Chains rattle and break. The mood shifting splices between tracks arethe most dazzlingly effective edits they've yet employed. When Iinterviewed them just prior to a gig supporting Low at ManchesterUniversity the most talkative Vibracathedralist Neil Campbell floatedthe notion that every time they play they just carry on from where theyleft off the last time, so it's just one long ever changing lifepathjourney: "He Play All Day Long." However it was Bridget Hayden who hadthe perfect word to describe what their music: "Magic."
"Wow." "Weird." "Jesus Christ." "I can't believe somebody took the timeto make this." Those will probably be the first things that passthrough someone's head upon hearing Osymyso's debut (I think?)'Introinspection' - an incredibly intricate, massive, and cool exampleof the phenomenon known as "mash-up" or "bootlegs." If you've neverheard the term(s), they're being thrown around to describe what isprobably one of the most recent new music genres - songs made entirely,or almost entirely, from cut-up pop songs, as Osymyso demonstrates, orby "mashing" two or more of them together, as those fucking hundreds ofBritish whitelabel 12"s featuring Missy Elliot or Kylie Minogue and atrance/drum'n'bass producer demonstrate. What's interesting, though, isthis genre's reliance on the Internet - obviously something that RELIESon sampling, or outright stealing, is not going to fly with too manylabels. (For another good bootleg mix that's actually legallysanctioned, check 
Packed in a film can-like metal box, DWM publish another well-craftedconcept piece of art & work—dedicated to member Frank Abendroth wholeft earth a few months ago. The recordings are not what one would callbrand new or hot—made in 1997/1998—but anyone who's a bit into DWMknows their plenty projects are published in their own time whenever itsuits them. 
For his third feature film, Todd Solondz asked Belle and Sebastian towrite some music. In a situation that seems somewhat analogous to Coilwith regards to the "Hellraiser Themes", very little of what theyrecorded in New York actually ended up being used. This 30-minute EPfully documents the results of those recording sessions. Belle andSebastian take to movie scoring incredibly naturally, and obviously arewell-suited for it. Inherently cinematic and epic, some of the stunninginstrumental pieces presented showcase what truly gifted musicians theyare. "Fuck This Shit" is a particularly stand-out piece, centeringaround a harmonica and piano, while "Consuelo" feaures trumpet and somegorgeous harp work. "Night Walk" is haunting. Soundbites from the filmhave been selected with the band's typical sense of humor, andscattered between various tracks, but seem rather unnecessary, or atleast to someone who hasn't seen the film yet. A few more conventionalBelle and Sebastian tracks are present as well. "Black and White Unite"is mediocre; certainly not as good as the band is capable of. The titletrack, the usual catchy B&S fare with lead vocals by thenow-departed Isobel Campbell, is their slightly cheeky ode to Solondzhimself: "Have you considered the way / People might react to all thethings that your characters say?". "Wandering Alone" is the band attheir irresistible best -- but with a latin-flavored twist!'Storytelling' finishes off with "Big John Shaft", which has somethingof a kitschy Saint Etienne feel. Bearing in mind that this is notreally a Belle and Sebastian album per se is key to enjoying thisrelease for what it is: their first foray into a new arena of music. Ifind the fruit of their labors encouraging, and hopefully it'ssomething that they will try their hand at again in the future.
Dose One, the nasal one from cLOUDEAD, is rapidly becoming the BustaRhymes of underground hip-hop, popping up on various albums over thepast year including Hood's "Cold House" of all places. Also, like MrRhymes, he's possessed of an unusual voice, kinda like the annoying onefrom Cypress Hill, but without being annoying, if that makes sense.Boom Bip, on the other hand, has had some well-received releases on theAnticon label.
This is Geir Jenssen's third Biosphere album in as many years for theUK's two decade strong Touch label. At first glance there appears to beseveral unrelated elements at play: the title is the name of a Chineseunmanned spacecraft, the track titles reference miscellaneous things,the digipack artwork is seemingly random photos (though typical forTouch) and inside it says that the first ten of the dozen tracks arebased on the orchestral works of late 20th Century French impressionistcomposer Claude Debussy. Playing those ten tracks doesn't clarify thecontradictions, but it does reveal a tightly focused continuum. HereJenssen's arctic ambience is quite minimal and possibly darker anddeeper than ever before. Low end currents and pink noise vapor trailscreate melodies and mysteries. Meanwhile, rhythmic bumps and loopedstrains of what I presume is Debussy orchestra are occasionally weavedin. The final two tracks are indeed different but also complementary tothe Debussy inspired suite. Altogether, 'Shenzou' is austere and simplyanother eerily beautiful ambient escape courtesy of Biosphere and Touch.
Luna has had their share of critical and audience acclaim. Since "PupTent," people have told me "You have to hear Luna! They're the bestband in the world and they..." blah blah blahblahblahblah. Yeah, okay.So a couple of their records have had some good songs on them. But istheir press way off? Are they really that incredible a listeningexperience? Nope. In fact, "Romantica" shows the same weaknesses theband has always had, even while showing some new strengths off in grandstyle. Jetset is their label du jour (their third in three years), andLuna are now getting a push from the same marketing team as Sigur Rosand Flaming Lips. All that marketing isn't going to save this albumfrom its own cracks. From the first song, 'Lovedust', this seems like astrong release. In fact, it's one of the best songs Luna have everrecorded. Unfortunately, the chords are so similar to 'Glycerine' byBush, I can't stand listening to the song. That, and the lyrics are sobad, which is the main problem with the whole release, and most Lunareleases. Sample: "When candles light themselves/and the air turnscreamy/why not take a photograph?/you look so dreamy." Not since Iheard Elvis actually sing "dig" and "groovy" have I been repulsed bysuch words. Not satisfied? Fine: "Goddess of shadow, lipstick, andscent/where did you end?/apricot candles and blackberry pie/is it atime bomb i see in your eye?" See? It's obviously a record of adorationand devotion, but there are way too many references to eyes, sleep, andstrange objects (bamboo chairs?). It's so frustrating. With DaveFridmann on the production team, this is the best Luna have eversounded, and the music, with the exception of the first track, is verycrisp and delicious. So why do the lyrics suck so bad? And why doesDean Wareham sound so much like Tim Booth all of a sudden? I don'tknow. But I'm incredibly underwhelmed by it all. But not surprised.
This much anticipated follow-up to 1999's "Motion" is a perfect blendof late sixties jazz and the ever-changing world of sample based music.Main man J. Swinscoe has gone from orchestrating rhythm samples toleading his own rhythm section, comprised of drummer Luke Flowers,pianist John Ellis and bassist Phil France, who also co-wrote thedisc's seven tunes. The use of samples is very tasteful, ranging fromslit-drum and thumb piano to choirs and strings. At times, it sounds asif some of the tunes may have been written around the samples asthey're just too damn tasty. The bulk of the disc is agroove-oriented/chillout feel from the rhythm section with fabperformances from soprano saxophonist Tom Chant andelectronics/turntables provided by Patrick Carpenter of DJ Food fame.While a lot of the instrumental tunes are epic in proportion (anywherefrom six to eleven minutes), they don't come off as "jam band" as thesubtleties of samples and ambient backdrops make the whole greater thanthe individual parts. Vocal legend Fontella Bass appears on the ballad"All That You Give" in a stand-out performance, and the deep-groove of"Evolution". Rapper Roots Manuva provides the social narrative on "AllThings To All Men" as only he can. Personally, "Every Day" should bethe disc that does for sampling what "Bitches Brew" did for fusion.
Richard Hell is beyond many things. Reproach and comparison are two such things. Leader of the Voidods, poet, bass player, and a man many call one of the founders of the punk movement, Hell has released very little music for a man of his acclaim and stature. In fact, he's reportedly only been in a studio once in the last 17 years. Luckily, the music he has released is so fantastic that it lasts, so much that any new music might pale in comparison. Add this one to the stack of record you must own.
To be honest, I was extremely sluggish in getting into electro (read:not electroclash, otherwise known as "the new black"). Though theclassic "Planet Rock" is a song that I recall fondly from my youth,spending summers in Florida with my family and hearing my cousin DJArson spin down there, I never appreciated bass enough to listen toelectro. Only recently did this change, when a friend turned me on tothe Two Lone Swordsmen side project Radioactive Man. As I blared his CDthrough my new DJ headphones, I realized that there was a sweet sweetLordy in heaven, and His name was Bass. Hunting for a similar sound(and eager to dodge all things fischy and adult in the process), thename Anthony Rother came up several times. At the prodding of a friendof mine with his finger on the pulse of underground electro, I pickedup 'Welcome To PSICITY,' a compilation on Rother's own PSI49NET label.Many of the songs here are by Rother himself, either alone or withcollaborators in the regarded Netzwerk moniker, and he usuallyimpresses. From the EBM stylings of "PSI CITY" and "Hot Body" to thesexy synthpop of "In The Studio" and the Kraftwerkian "Little ComputerPeople," Rother lets determined voices and corroding arpeggios run wildamid thick bass hits. The bass here is delightful and will happilydamage your puny stereo if played loud enough, so proceed with cautionduring your next drug binge. Other noteworthy tracks from outsidecontributors include Mulletronic's upbeat "Eeyore" and Froyd's "WeissesRauschen", a 4/4 head-nodder reminiscent of older Underworld (circa'dubnobasswithmyheadman'). This 2 CD set does have a fair bit of iffytracks, particularly from some of the non-Rother projects, but thatshouldn't stop the electro novice from investigating it. (Most Rotherfans already own it, unless they've been hospitalized). Don't worry,everyone. Miss Kittin wont get mad if you buy an electro album thatdoesn't include her in the credits. Do it for yourself. Do it for Bass!Amen!
Thomas Brinkmann's third Soul Center album is the first for Mute'sdance division NovaMute. Soul Center is considered Brinkmann'selectronic funk outlet. Here, minimal mid-tempo grooves are looped andjazzed up with percussion layers, (sampled?) keyboard and saxophoneruns, and nicked spoken and sung phrases from classic Stax wax such asIsaac Hayes' 'Live At The Sahara Tahoe'. When I think of "funk" I thinkof the real deal: James Brown, Parliament / Funkadelic, Troublefunk,etc. I'm talking grit and sweat. You know ... funk. This ain't that.It's often just German techno wearing a goofy afro wig. As funk it'stoo sterile, as techno it's too cutesy. But as something in-between andsomething to dance to, this ain't that bad. A couple of tracks pique myinterest more than the others. The dubby groove of "Easy Goin'" isgreat alone but it gets even better when tasty keys reminiscent ofCoil's 'The Snow' are faded in on top. And "Who's My Girl?" really getsthings moving with a truncated vocal and piano riff rolled into athumpin' beat. Also on the disc is a cute video for "A Good One", thestop-motion adventures of the cover's robo-pooch.
Thank God for Girls Against Boys. Yet another band that started on an indie, moved to a major, and now, back to an indie. Another band who once compromised for the big time, now compromises for no one. Another band that is reborn on their new album, throwing more energy out on tape now than they ever have. The only unfortunate label ever assigned to the band was that of "sex rock." Sure, their music is sexy. Sure, it's raw. And it's definitely not for the faint of heart. But it's not "sex rock." And "You Can't Fight What You Can't See" is arguably the most punishing record with which any of the band's members have been involved.
You'd be hard pushed to realise that samples from classical music formthe core of the second Illuminati EP, as they've mostly been utterlydistorted and pulverised beyond recognition. A middle aged electriciancommented that this reminded him of Soft Machine which is odd becauseDave Clarkson of Illuminati and Planetsounds is a big fan of theirs,but I'd never have thought it was something that sounded similar. WhenI mentioned the comparison to Dave he asked if it was the third track,"Glass Box Trap" which chucks a melodic keyboard jitter over thrummingdouble drone backbone, and a nasal voice muttering disgruntled andnebulous. If I was going to fling comparisons at Illuminati though I'dhave to mention Throbbing Gristle, particularly "DOA," but I think Idid that with the first EP. This one has the same picture on the cover,but inverted to negative and in some ways this a darker and moremenacing trip. A deep singular pulse beat opens the strange door onto amicroscope resolution for "Midget Germs" which vibrate ominously inhell spawned misery. Feedback screams and muffled moans punctuate thistortured cancerous eyeball injection. The poor germs don't stand achance when "Argenteum Atavism" squirts beatnoise bleach all over them.Crunching along in hectic overloaded abandon, this is what it mightsound like if Aphex Twin tried to put one over on Non. Just as themelody creeps in one final crash collapses into semi-ambient bleepscapegurgling. The fourth and final track swings "The Strange Door" shut anddesperate knocking can be heard from outside as the germs shut outsideslowly fizzle to their demise, and a new dawn of lush angelic keyboardbursts across the blackened sky. Distant thunder rumbles.
For everyone out there who fell in love with the brutal industrialrhythms of Speedy J's 'A Shocking Hobby,' be prepared for somethingvery different. 'Loudboxer,' Jochem Paap's latest CD on the alwaysenjoyable Novamute label, returns to his earlier days of Plus 8 styledminimal techno bangers and away from the noise that undoubtedly madethe Ant-Zen family tremble. However, the darkness of 'A Shocking Hobby'is still intact here, and the first mind-bludgeoning single "Krekc"makes that very apparent. Devoid of any clear melody, the album existsas an upward slope, increasing in intensity so that by the time tracknine ("Sevntrak") arrives, I'm reminded why my hard techno-obsessedco-workers can't get enough of this shit. Juxtapose this: machineschugging away with an assembly line fury while sweat drenched clubbersdance helplessly enslaved to the merciless beats. (Sound corny? Wellthen don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.) This is theessence of industrial, a style that has splintered beyond recognitionbut yet has found its way home somehow here. Presented as a continuousmix with a few carefully placed interludes ("Cement", "Inter Zil"),'Loudboxer' fails to displease those who like their music hard, fast,and strictly 4/4 for the dancefloor. Speedy J once again rivals alllike-minded peers in the genre.
What can you say about 76 year old composer Francis Dhomont? You couldsay he's been given lots of prizes for his noises. You could say hetalks a good acousmatic game theory. You could say he wears an eyepatchover his right eye. He first grabbed my attention with his"Frankenstein Symphony" on Asphodel, a plunderphonic acousmatic journeyon which he skillfully cut up and stitched together various excerptsfrom works by his French Canadian contemporaries. He now tips his hatto perhaps his biggest inspiration. This sound cycle is a fiftiethanniversary homage to musique concrète pioneer Pierre Schaefer,specifically the first movement of his "Étude Aux Objets," from whichDhomont has sourced his raw materials. There are many furtivesimilarities to the Schaefer original, but Dhomont stretches thejourney out almost twice as long and eschews Schaefer's violent tapesplice edits, focusing and magnifying curiously questioning speakerpanning whirls into successive new smoothed out seascapes. In theopening funeral march, "Objets Retrouvés," the sounds seem to be askingthemselves what they are, curious to find themselves hanging aroundtheir own echoes. Dhomont breathes new life into them and gives themcelebratory purpose. The second cycle "AvartArsSon" paints in the skyfrom a more varied and clattering palette. Sounds loom into theforeground, shimmer and mutate. Latterly choral vox limbo over gluggingmystery spools. Bells ring out across the city full of gleeful honkingtaxis, soon washed away by tidal waves. This is the most cinematic ofthe four cycles, in that more untransmuted sound sources are apparentthan in relatively abstracted sequences elsewhere. The third cycle"Novars" was the first to be completed and is the hub around which theothers rotate, but since it is sequenced after "Objets Retrouvés"despite being completed seven years earlier, it seems like an extendedversion thereof. "Phonurgie" hones and magnifies elements from theprevious cycles casting long late summer evening shadows and deep poolreflections, folding mystery into myth. Latterly it seems as if severalglass instrument orchestras are playing cut up fragments in reverse asthey sink into the sea. A little recurring chuckle is a mirthfulreminder of how much fun listening can be.
Berlin's WMF Club is home for Saturday night Komfort.Labor events suchas Native Instruments' Native Labs. The company is maker of modularsound software Reaktor and I'm assuming that the 14 artists found hereused it for these exclusive tracks. Some of electronica's elite are ofcourse to be found here amongst the line-up: Kid 606, Jake Mandell,Richard Devine, Errorsmith, F.X. Randomiz, Rob Acid, Solar X, Kent,Vladislav Delay, Siegmar Kreie, Mike Dred, Nitrada vs. Vger, Vert andLazyfish. If anything, the resulting hour of audio proves that Reaktoris a really flexible environment for electronic music makers.Everything from looping soundscapes to inexplicable experiments tothrobbing techno is represented, though there's an especially strongemphasis on chaos and/or rhythm throughout. Of the lot, I'd say onlyErrorsmith's annoying metallic beat thing is worthy of skipping and Kid606's bland "Damn Dre Why You Always Hating On Me" doesn't live up toits cool title. The following three are my favorites: Mandell's"Broccoli Crisis" is a seriously storming dance number that would makethe most timid clubber get their ass out on the floor and move; F.X.Randomiz's "Danuni" melodically churns a granular mass of bits andbobs; snd Vladislav Delay performs his usual magic trick for "The SuperHas Left The Model" by skillfully turning microscopic digitalia insideout, almost at random. The interactive ROM portion might just be themost interesting aspect of the disc, that is, if I ever figure it out.A Reaktor-like application lets you graphically manipulate the "what","when" and "how" of Lazyfish's "Mewark-Stoderaft" on the fly. Fun, forawhile.
