30 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Maschinenschlosser (Machine Fitters) is the latest project of ChristianStefaner, aka Neat and a member of multimedia design team c2s2, and"Orange Noise" is his 4th audio release, first for Austria's Dbelltimelabel. Twenty tracks, eight of which are exactly 3 minutes and 2seconds apiece for whatever reason, add up to about 74 minutes ofunassuming electronica. The flow and variation of the disc is verypeculiar. An 11 minute opener of softly pitter pattered beats and mild,looped tones is followed by numerous, more experimental pieces based ondifferent, somewhat simple sound waves. I guess this is how Stefanerdefines 'orange' noise, with digital hums, buzzes, drones and such lefton repeat. "Vas 1" and "Reset (Plane)" offer the most turbulent, barelylistenable selection of sounds, sort of like a laptop devised ThrobbingGristle. Out of the blue, er, orange, comes "Funky Shark" at track 13with pseudo funky beats, followed by the incredibly grating and funkless bursts of "Funky Ericsson". Yes, I get the joke, but guess what,cell phones make really shitty (non)music. Then finally, mercifully,something truly interesting as "Rec6+jw2" and "Stompa" nicely blendtones and beats. "La Internacional" is an odd but welcome closer astender music box bells gradually wind down. What a strange album. Butall in all, there's very little of anything memorable and far too muchtedium and annoyance along the way.

 

samples:

• Funky Shark
• Rec6jw2
• Stompa

Read More

30 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Yoshihiro Hanno has played jazz and drum'n'bass and composedsoundtracks for Chinese films but here he plays his experimentalglitchery hand. He originally released this material as two EP's on hisCirque label. "April" comprised his own compositions, and "Remixes"compiled other artists' mutations of those tracks. Sub Rosa havecombined the original "April" with three of the remixes, presumably themost sympathetic. Combining the two releases might seem an odd idea,but it works really well.The opening 'On/Off' rips some robotic syllables from what sounds likea hacked speak'n'spell toy then sends fractured piano notes ripplingprettily from speaker to speaker. 'Lab Suite' glitches a choir to soundlike an updated homage to early Steve Reich or Philip Glass repetitionmusic. Hanno stitches together brief looping fragments to form a brightmosaic of sound that will probably either entrance or irritate. Whilstthe first couple of tracks seem very serious, 'Compass' deploys similartactics to comedic effect. By this point things begin to get a bitformulaic so it's fortunate that Oval steps in with a magnificentlyfull bodied remix that has an overlapping density lacking in Hanno'srelatively linear originals. 'Trapezoid' is more like the Oval mix thanthe first three Hanno tracks, so was presumably the primary track onwhich Markus Popp based his remix, but whilst Hanno seems to stitchglitch horizontally, Oval piles on vertical strata. 'Trapezoid'squelches and whines more than Hanno's other tracks and latterly tailsoff into a soundcard swamp. Hidenobu Ito, whose eclectic 'Bedroom in aCage' CD was quite good fun, remixes 'Lab Suite' adding some acousticguitar and vibraphones and jingling bells to the finely stutteringvoices. Then he begins 'Aaahing' over the top and a second guitar picksa melody out as shakers shuffle. Like Oval, his slowly unfolding extralayers and melodic colouration highlight the minimal aspect of Hanno'ssoundworld. The reason to get this is Chistophe Charles' excellent epic'Verena/On Canvas' remix which opens up a mysterious electroacousticportal through which drones support vague memory noise; distant voiceslaughing, a train passing, a bicycle bell ringing, that perkyspeak'n'spell... eventually all is stripped of association and reducedto the processed munching and hissing of the computer. Then all thesounds rush back in, faster and desperate. Latterly eerie droneambience underpins shards of Hanno's sounds fading in an out, bothprocessed and untouched, until 14 minutes in when the glitch chorussings for its third meal. The final track, 'A Short Break' is actuallyHanno's longest original, and is quite different to the others. Anacoustic guitar picks out slow notes in the foreground, and more guitarmelody and string drone settles in beautifully. It sounds like it wasquite likely stitched together in a computer, and the guitars playaround each other in a way quite unlike any other I've heard, perhapsbecause he's using long loops that are going out of synch with eachother. Halfway through piano fills and rapid glitch drop in. Thisdefinitely seems the most interesting of Hanno's tracks and is a lovelyway to drift to the end of the album.

 

samples:

• Lab Suite (Hidenobu Ito)
• April (Oval)
• A Short Break (Yoshihiro Hanno)

Read More

30 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

elders of zion are an avante garde neo-prog rock group of sorts thatare already drawing comparisons with Trans Am and the moresocio-political slant of godspeed you black emperor! From the first fewmoments of the CD's first track, also the title track, you're bombardedwith bass and drums of a sinister accord that will make you beg formercy. And that's just the first track. But where bands like Trans Amand gybe! are good comparisons to toss around to describe a band,they're slightly misused here, as elders of zion have their own agenda.Where gybe! seem to like field recordings they've made and work withmusic to meet that energy, I've never seen their political stancetaking that much of a stand in their recordings. With elders of zion,like recordings are used not just a basis for the recording, but alsoas part of the music's message, as well. And where Trans Am seem firmlyentrenched in their electronic Kraftwerk-meets-70s-rock sound, that'snot the case with this band. In fact, comparisons are lovely in that itgives you sort of an idea what the band sounds like, just enough sothey can defy it. And elders of zion do. The music is fresh-sounding,well-recorded and mixed, and never cumbersome. Some tracks did leave mewanting more, or I felt they were too long, or could have gone onlonger it would have suited me just fine (the title track is a perfectexample there). Overall, though, it was a great listen, one that had myoffice mate asking who it was, and given that they're mostly Kid Rockand Poison fans, that was an interesting. Don't take that wrong,though... elders of zion are nothing like Kid Rock. And thank god forthat.

 

samples:

• dawn refuses to rise
• jerusalem calling
• all that's solid melts into air (slight return)

Read More

30 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Blimp are a four piece from Poland that practically hide guitar, bassand drums within analogue synths, loops, samples, effects and rhythmprogramming. The 40 minutes of music here is instrumental (save for amuddled recitation of a James Joyce poem in one track) with welltempered, basic bass/beats and very thick layers of back and foregroundtexture and micro mechanical sounds. It's more of a mellow electronicgroove thing than a post rock groove thing, though it's really bothwith a bit of spacey dub and krautrock mixed in, often reminding me ofMouse on Mars and the solo work of Thomas Fehlmann of The Orb. "17"offers up the most prominent bass guitar based groove, almost to thepoint of Jah Wobble prominence. Everything is perfectly pleasant andcomes to an end far too quickly. My only other minor complaint - a fewunintentional clicks pop up here and there, which may be a problem withthe disc itself and not the music or mix.

 

samples:

• 17
• Analogue Equipment in Modern Retro Music
• Four Imaginary Boys

Read More

23 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Now is the time we go digging around some of the albums we neglected to talk about over the last twelve months. Adullt'sdebut full-lengher has placed this duo at the top of my list for mostthe overrated group of the year (sharing of course with White Stripesand The Strokes). I actually liked Le Car so I really, really wanted tolike Adult, but I'm left with a sour, sour taste in my mouth. If Ididn't like the 1980s analogue synth style of music they're attempting,I probably wouldn't still own my Gary Numan, OMD, Soft Cell or FadGadget records. If I was tired of the retro-analogue sound, I probablywould have no appreciation for Joy Electric, I Am Spoonbender, G.D.Luxxe, Ladytron, Fischerspooner, Gold Chains or a zillion others whorecently won analogue drum machines and synths on eBay auctions anddecided to form a band. Strip away the kitch and the irony from Adultand you're left with nothing but 14 very boring songs. The lyrics arefucking horrible, many repeated way beyond tolerable levels, whileuntrained monkeys very possibly could have programmed more interestingdrum machine patterns. At least other horrible groups like Freezepophave a certain charm about them which make them mildly tolerable. Naiveindie kids, however, claim Adult are "fun" but I actually find Chickson Speed and Peaches (ironically enough, based in Germany) hundreds oftimes more "fun" than a couple dull Americans acting out Germanprejudices popularized by Mike Meyers' "Sprockets" skits on SaturdayNight Live. Maybe it's a jaded view because the same people who hearof, buy and enjoy Adult are more than likely the same people whoprobably think Radiohead are "innovative," or Richard D. James is"original." There's much more entertaining, better crafted music we'vementioned all year long and you don't need to waste your money on thisshit.

 

samples:

• Human Wreck
• New Object
• Hand To Phone (Cordless Mix)

Read More

23 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Prior to Windor For the Derby's forthcoming fourth album, Aestheticshave released this five-track remix EP. It's always strange to hear theremixes before the originals, but in this case, Windsor's previousunadulterated material — mostly mellow guitar-based tunes — struck meas rather bland. So I hoped that the remixers would make a little moreout of it. Carnival Wave certainly do, enveloping "The EmotionalRescue" in atmospheric swirls and some (presumably added) femalevocals. Pulseprogramming give "I Change.C?" a nice electro-dubtreatment while I-Sound go a little too over the top with gritty beatsand electronic blips in "Ice Age Blues". Calla, who share a member withWindsor, bring cymbal heavy rhythms, big bass booms, clean guitar loopsand shiny ambiance to "Awkwardness". And finally, Windsor themselvesjoin in the fun with a heavily effected "Now I Know the Sea" completewith computerized vocals. Carnival Wave and Calla tie for the blueribbon here. I wonder, will next year's "The Emotional Rescue" LPbetter these? I'll take a chance on it.

 

samples:

• The Emotional Rescue
• I Change C
• Awkwardness

Read More

23 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

At the front of this Montreal-based collective (pronounced "hursh-tah") is Mike Moya, founding memeber of godspeed, Molasses, and Set Fire to Flames. Other members of the group include godspeed/etc. members Bruce and Norsola as well as Molasses members Fluffy Erskine and Scott Chernoff. The 55+ minute collection of 13 tracks would more likely find better appreciation among Nick Cave, Boxhead Ensemble, Thalia Zedek and Leonard Cohen fans who appreciate a good score to a murder scene rather than godspeed fans seeking the next rock and roll messiah.The music somewhat follows a progression Molasses could have taken, with vocal — but not vocally drowned — pieces, blending the heavily emotional, bluesy guitar melodies delicately with strings, occasional loops, a frequent appearance of a skillfully played bowed-saw, droney effects, and the rare amount of percussion. Moya's vocals provide a perfect companion in an already appropriate soundtrack to a cold, bleak, wintery evening. With this album, I can honestly say that the collective has effectively harnessed their improvisational experiences into an elegant, carefully-constructed full-length concept studio album. If the Molasses releases can be perceived as taking snapshots of a band known for their live performances, Hrsta's album is the flipside, presenting the intricate feature-length production.

 

samples:

• Silver Planes
• City of Gold
• Lime Kiln

 

Read More

23 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Finally hereÍs the first solo outing of the On-U Sound mastermind andmixer supremo himself.I paid a horrible amount to purchase a copy of this single, limited to3000, which come in a dancehall-style plain standard soft-sleeve.
"Zero Zero One" (co-written with C. Oglive) is a fine piece,remeniscent of early Tackhead, with added subtle rasta flair and"found" voices. If it was missing only one thing, it would be theprecise beats of Keith LeBlanc. "Pass The Rizzla," (co-written withSkip Mcdonald and Sunjay) dives into the realms of heavy bass lines andDub he's most famous for. On this, he features the golden voices ofboth Bim Sherman (R.I.P.) and Prince Far I (R.I.P.), two great singersSherwood both worked with extensively and started On-U Sound with.
Both tracks are of course technically excellent but I must admit Ihoped for something more challenging. On the other hand, the two sidesof this single nicely exhibit two styles he developed and cultivatedover the years. In addition, it's good to see him return from the moreroots-orientated stuff he seemed to draw all of his attention to lately.

 

samples:

• Zero Zero One
• Pass the Rizzla (raw version)

Read More

23 December 2001

Jean-Marc Lawton

Albums and Singles

'Afrocentris' is different from other Sandoz LPs, especially thereggae-based last release 'Chant to Jah' It does have however,similarities with his other Sandoz work too.
The beats seem more up front and although very afrocentric most of thetime, they sound latin influenced too to my ears on occasion. A lot ofKirk's work as Sandoz, seems to be tracks seperate from each other,with everchanging patterns within each track. However, this releasefeatures tracks which are more simplistic in design, and something thatI like, is that they seem to have a logical continuity to them ie eachtrack leads into the next one.
It's 71 plus minutes long, got a delightful purple cover and is as farremoved from 'Here and Elsewhere' as could be possible, testimony toKirk's genius to be able to produce such diverse works. Its a darnsight better than the recent EMI / Virgin re-hashes, agreed to,presumably, to generate some cash. If that cash goes into producingmore stuff like 'Afrocentris' and 'Here and Elsewhere,' I, for one,will be well chuffed.

 

samples:

• Spooks Inna Congo
• Beaucoup Detalis Man
• Panza

Read More

23 December 2001

Administrator

Albums and Singles

So you've wrapped up all the crappy mobile phones and put them underthe tree. They all start ringing before Christmas, so everyone knowswhat their presents are. Worse than that, they all play bleeperversions of Eminem and Goons & Poseurs wack. What you need: CD ofringtones to program your chip! Pre-empting the advent of programmablemobile phones, Touch asked lots of artists to make their own idealringtones. There are as many tracks as a CD can deal with encoded here(99) and a wide variation of noises that'll get you odd looks whenRobert Hampson calls to ask in cryptic drone cyphers, "Where the fuckare you?"
Be careful to avoid an embarrassing social faux pas at granny's onBoxing Day by not programming a Swedish actress huskily breathing inmock orgasmic frenzy. More fun when people call you at the bank to thetune of Bruce Gilbert's 'Robbery' or when you're visiting the localvery safe nuclear meltdown reactor and a mini 'Air Raid' siren goes offin your pocket. In the park you could choose to confuse avian andcanine breeds with various bird and dog calls recorded by Chris Watson.Alternatively, you could choose to be awakened by many shades ofelectronic noise, the googling of a baby, a swift blast of EvanParker's transcendent circular sax blowing or the shortest PhillNiblock drone ever recorded. CM von Hausswolff employs someuncomfortable pure tone pitches which could turn a few heads if thephone went off in public spaces as they usually do. The funniestselections have to be the little professor voice that says, "Pay nomore attention to me than if I were a machine, I am not much else!" andLeif Elggren's robotic rasps for help! "Help! Help! Help!" I don'tthink I'd want to hear Gilbert and George discussing buying a vaseevery time someone rang, but there's a lot here to choose from! I findmyself gravitating towards the hooky poptone rhythms of New Order andScala as the noises I'd like to herald happy talk. Actually I'd use'Gob of Spit' by Naked City, which isn't on this. However, I vowed longago never to get a mobile phone as I didn't want to grow an extra head.Now it seems that the mania for these gadgets is causing theregrettable Central African Coltan crisis, which you can find out morefacts on via the Touch website (www.touch.demon.co.uk). MerryChristmas! Put a ringtone in your stocking and sample it all to hell!"The first god knew the evil of the phone!" (MES in garden circa 1983).But the last ringtone alert should go to ghost voice explorer RaymondCass; "Hello everybody on the other side."

 

samples:

• Andreas Karperyd - Accelerate
• Bruce Gilbert - Robbery Airraid
• Mika Vainio - Polar-Tele-Whale-Sounder
• People Like Us - I Know
• Phil Niblock & Guy de Bievre - Tones for Guy
• Scala - Naked

Read More