"REPLICANT RUMBA ROCKERS: A RATHER INTERESTING MIX"

Burnt Friedman presents a smidgeon of material from Uwe Schmidt'smassive Rather Interesting back catalog for his own Nonplace label. Forthe 42 minute continuous mix, Friedman selects 14 of his favoritetracks from eight of Schmidt's many monikers (he's probably best knownas Atom? or Atom Heart). First off, I must confess that I don't own asingle Rather Interesting release. I figure this will be a good placefor me to start considering I'm an adamant collector of Freidman's workand the duo's collaborations as Flanger. Friedman's bright and spaciousaural imprint is all over the disc, either through his mixing, his ownoverdubbing or simply a like-minded approach. The main vibe is theirusual one of jazz and electronica de latina, a blurred lines blend ofsampled/programmed/played musica, sometimes at the mercy of glitchifiedhyper-editing. The rhythms vary from techno to tango and they neverstop as pianos and keys noodle, bass lines bounce and slide,electronics blip and bloop, horns and vibes dabble and faux audiencesclap in appreciation. At first it is indeed a rather interesting mix,always on the move and seamlessly sewn together, but after awhile it'sa tad too cutesy and/or bland for my taste and I start to loseinterest. What's missing is the dark beauty and black humor of some ofFriedman's solo output that I love so much. I just simply preferFriedman and Flanger's stuff over Schmidt's, simple as that. And thatgives me a sigh of relief considering the financial commitmentnecessary to keep up with Rather Interesting, not to mention all ofSchmidt's other endeavors.

samples:

• Follow Me to San Jose
• Midisport - All Notes Off
• Ondas - Stereo Kiss