Muslimgauze "Box of Silk and Dogs" boxset Staalplaat & Yokomono Ltd. Muslimlim 013 1999
Muslimgauze is Bryn Jones.
9 cds. Yes, you read that right ... 9 cds. If the feverish pace of new Muslimgauze releases wasn't already frequent enough for you (often 1 to 2 cds every few months), this may tide you over for awhile. "Box of Silk and Dogs" is the long awaited, limited edition (250 for Europe, 250 for the U.S.) treasure that Muslimgauze addicts have been yearning for. It actually has nothing in common with a "box". Closed it's 16 inches high by 6 inches wide and about an inch thick. The outside is heavy black pressboard with simply the title and "by Muslimgauze" in black/white print. Unfold the 4 flaps and you have a 24 inch wide display of 9 cds and backing photo of 2 shrouded people with rifles (the artwork on the cds help make up the picture). 3 of the 4 panels have foam knobs for 3 cds apiece and the 2nd panel from the right is where a short biography, limited edition discography and subscription/future releases info resides. Underneath each cd is the cd title, tracklisting and various pictures of Middle Eastern females. As usual per Muslimgauze, the artwork/packaging is suberb. Now, the music: nearly 7 and 1/2 hours of new music, all recorded in the fall of 1998. I've listened to all 9 cds at least twice so far, it's a bit difficult to take in this much in such a short amout of time but I can definitely say that this is predominantly beat-driven Muslimgauze. Tempos are highly varied and every possible style and sound seems to be explored: acoustic and electronic percussion of all sorts, electro, old skool hip hop, drum 'n bass, etc, etc and a few in the dub vein. I'd say 98% of the tracks have a rhythm of some sort. There isn't too much in the way of dialogue/voice samples, but there are plenty of blips, bleeps, atmospheres, electronics, effects, volume cuts and swells, etc. I listened to all 9 discs in a row a few nights ago and didn't skip a single track. Maybe I was in a trance? Or maybe it's really that good? I'm not really sure! Regardless, I'm very impressed. There's no mistaking any of this as the work of the one and only Muslimgauze. "Box of Silk and Dogs" is quite the testament to Bryn Jones prolific nature, talent and legacy, he will be forever missed. Get this now, if you can, before you end up paying 10x the original ~$100 cost on Ebay ...
Where did I get this boxset? - mail order via Soleilmoon Recordings.