I've been meaning to review some records I bought recently, so here goes...
Phylyps Trak II (Basic Channel - BC09)
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One side is hyper-minimal, too repetitive (even for a Basic Channel release), and almost deep-housey. Blech. Flip the record and turn that frown upside down, as the Basic Channel folks strike gold with a *dense* mutating techno number. The track totally typifies that brooding lo-fi Basic Channel "heavy machinery" sound, and develops more intelligently (arrgh, the "i" word) than almost anything else I've heard on the label. Nice.
Orbital: Are We Here? [U.S. only remixes] (FFRR 697-120 047-1)
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I was wary when I read the sleeve ("fierce, guaranteed floor-filling"), but I bought it anyway. A seven-track 2x12" with four Orbital remixes and three Rabbit in the Moon remixes. Now I hadn't heard anything previously by Rabbit in the Moon, and from all the acclaim their _Phases of an Out-of-Body Experience_ 12" got, I was kind of excited to find out what they sounded like. What a disappointment. Their ideas are good (take snippets of sound from classic Orbital tracks and work them in to the "Are We Here" remix), but their three remixes just come off sounding like annoying, commercial club fodder. Orbital, on the other hand, don't disappoint. "Who Are They" is a 7:30 long masterpiece - mutated, layered female wailing over a slow breakbeat. "Industry Standard" is a 3:51 long edit of the same track, while their other two remixes are harder, acid-tinged 4/4 workouts. Neat stuff from the Hartnoll brothers, unsatisfying drivel from Rabbit in the Moon.
Neuropolitique: Menage a' Trois LP (Irdial-Discs - 52IRDMAT4LP)
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A big black-and-white picture of producer Mat Cogger's face stares out at you from the sleeve of this record underneath a huge block-letter "Neuropolitique" banner. Kinda' high profile packaging for faceless techno, eh? This was the first Irdial record I ever saw anywhere, so I snapped it up. Cogger mixes noisy, hard, kick-driven rhythms with boisterous repeating melodies, and the formula works brilliantly. Six tracks to move you, and the seventh calms you down with an ambient feel that wouldn't be out of place on Mad Mike's _Galaxy to Galaxy_ project.
Eco Tourist: Magelonic/Penguins (Ifach 004) & Solcyc: Off the Man/Vision (Ifach 005)
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Oh yes. File under: why I buy records in the first place. Baby Ford's Ifach label turns out two winners. I double-D M. Fat analogue basslines, wierd sounds, patient intros, excellent melodies and booty-shakin' drum programming characterize these four beauties. Good enough to make me want to print a run of 1000 "I luv Ifach" bumper-stickers (ok, I'm getting cheesy now). Just buy these records, it's really that simple. I also listened to, but didn't buy, Baird Remo's _Emojerk_ EP (Ifach 006). It's, shall we say, "wildly experimental." "Just plain wierd" also works. Totally dancefloor-unfriendly, but boundary-pushing nevertheless.
Terrace: Back-flash (DJAX-UP-203)
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Taking a trip to Mr. Robbers' neighborhood we find the Dutchman in relatively fine form. Quite a laidback release for DJAX, too. I like the first track, "D-Inspired," the best, with its interesting snare drum patterns weaving themselves around a solid 4/4 kick, subtle 303 basslines, and sweet synthesised tinkling. Your mileage may vary on the other three tracks but, for the most part, this is just a really consistent, fairly melodic, IDM release. It's not mindblowing stuff, but it is well-crafted techno from a man who knows a thing or two about that sort of thing.
Lida Husik/Beaumont Hannant: Evening at the Grange (Astralwerks - ASW 6135)
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I picked this up at Tower before the recent spate of Beau Hannant-bashing hit the net. I like it though. If you can't stand vocals, don't buy, because all the tracks have them in good measure. But Husik's voice is quite beautiful, especially when she harmonizes with herself. She also plays a mean E-bow :) . Hannant is given writing and "keyboard" credits on three of the five tracks, but they all have keyboards, so I wonder if its him or not on the other two tracks. To me, the standouts are "Textured" and "Starburst 7" - all due to Hannant's slammin' hip-hop rhythms, of course.
- Matthew Lehrer