On Sun, 8 Oct 1995, Graydon Hoare wrote:
> So far all I can say about FAX (from the few releases I've listened to)
> is that it's a little tricky to know what you're getting into. With
> comps, other labels, or even individual artists with a consistent
> schedule, you can look the thing over with some sense of what sort of
> sound is going to be on it. FAX is about as oblique about the artist &
> style as they can get, which is annoying if you're looking for something
> within that stack of 115 ;)
Over on the ambient list, it was recently announced that Pete has
taken some of the S/N criticisms to heart and has altered the release
schedule from the one a week of the past to one every other week. This
should focus the output on more of the label's quality projects (although
some people would debate this). As far as getting into the stuff, I'd
recommend picking up the FAX USA comps I & II. I had a miserable experience
trying hit or miss at the store, but the 1st compillation set me on the
right track. Reviews of the 2nd aren't as positive, since it consists mostly
of excerpts from longer pieces, but it's pretty worthwhile. All four CDs
were bundled together as _Ambient Cookbook_ a while back, which has
apparently been rereleased with wider distribution by FAX label itself.
As far as the more IDM related releases are concerned, a quick scan of the
ambient list will frequently turn up reviews of the trancier stuff.
If you can lay your hands on it, I'd recommend getting _Fanger and Siebert_,
which is an amazing electro-ambient disc. Check out the new Atom Heart,
_Silver Sound 60_ while you're at it for a loungier feeling disc.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
| Steve Boyer sboyer@violet.berkeley.edu |
|
http://violet.berkeley.edu/~sboyer |
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-