Mere Mortals "Ethnic Dub Simmphony in Ten Parts" Map Records MAP202-2 1997 (70:36)
Reef (8:12)
Hare Hare RAM (7:10)
Sacred Grounds (7:57)
Sphinxstream (6:52)
Clouds of Nonsense (4:50)
Gunjah (6:00)
Shift (8:12)
Global Driftnet Moratorium (6:59)
Drum Terra (5:40)
Et Cetera (8:44)
Mere Mortals is Dan Handrabur (composition, programming, engineering, production) with Christina Handrabur (additional crucial synth programming and sampling).
Overall impression: excellent! Dan Handrabur (Dreamlogic, Weed, Off and Gone, Landhip) creates yet another lush, ambient sound environment for your ears and mind. Like other Map Records releases, this album is big on electronic bass groove swimming in a bed of percussion and miscellaneous samples / sounds. The Handraburs stick to a purely electronic method for this album un-like the electronic and "real" instrumentation of Off and Gone's "Everest" and labelmate Phil Western's "The Escapist", which Dan also appears on (have these guys cornered the market on killer ambient techno?) There's a little bit of everything in the mix: dub, techno, jazz, ambience, and a ton of interesting samples (bells, chimes, guitars, sitar, ethnic percussion and voices, etc) throughout. Nothing feels forced, cheesy or out of place, it all fits just right. The tracks are constantly moving and changing, you never get bored. Excellent stuff, it's easy to tell that a great deal of care and effort were placed in the making of this music. "Gunjah" and "Shift" are also available on the "Welcome to Lotus Land" compilation, the essential primer to all of Map's roster. Check it out for yourself ... hook your 'puter up to your stereo, head over to Map's website and listen to the *entire* album in real audio. Then mailorder yourself a copy ...