Best of the past week: Various: tone tales from tomorrow too
on ntone, mixed by colcut.
Still haven't heard the JDJ by coldcut yet, but i'm definitely
going to pick it up after listening to this almost non-stop
over the past week. A beautiful mix of ambient & dubdued
hop on the ntone & fax label. Artists include: Spacetime continuum,
real life, hex, neotropic, path, journeyman, purr...
CD is a CD-ROM "selling for the price of a normal CD" and supposedly
allows to you to make your own mix w/ pieces from this 70+ min. mix,
though I haven't had a chance to check this out.
Only gripe: They use Joanna Law's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
in the mix, which I always drop in my radio-show & vowed to use
if I ever have my own mix-CD release. Damn! Still the mix is
so beautiful I can't hate them for doing it...
Other good releases:
Volume 15 + It: this has been around for a while now, but since
I haven't noticed any discussion of it, I'd thought i'd mention it.
This is the best Volume release in a LONG time! One full CD
of music + one w/ three tracks & some CD-ROM stuff (which i still
haven't checked out yet). Includes some good trip hop, electronic
& indie rock stuff. Tracks include a Tranquility Bass remix of
The Shamen, a new Ultramarine track, a previously unreleased
remix of New Order's everythings gone green by Advent, a
Cocteau Twins track, Rhythmicon (using a theremin)...
Susumu Yokota: Ebi Ten (Space Teddy)
This CD ranges from ambient to almost a jungle (break) beat.
Musical style almost verges into distorted beats territory
(aphex, black dog), but is much more melodical.
Best comparison might be the new Spacetime continuum, only
on a bit more of the experimental tip...
Pick it up now while you can find it, you will
definitely being hearing more from this guy
in the future.
Being: Selected transmissions (2XCD on Emission)
Sabres of Paradise here w/ very minimal ambient sounds
slowly building w/ beats & bleeps. Not all the tracks
here hit you on first hearing...but is the time of
thing that might grow on you if you are into more
minimal sounds. Not very easy to find, in the US anyway...
Three AD (Waveform):
This has already been reviewed. most of the tracks are from
ambient dub 4, which i don't have & can't give you
further info on which. Starseeds track is nice, though
not as impressive as their amazing track on Two AD.
Insanity Sect track is from their recent limited ed.
album which is nice, but also not as impressive as their
earlier work -(for both) less on the vocal/spoken samples,
which i felt both did extremely well. Coldcut track (signs)
is nice
Spacer: Atlas Earth (Pussyfoot)
Space hop here in the Howie B vein. Nice, consistent,
vocals on a few tracks aren't too disturbing...
The first single from the album is quite nice,
though i'm not sure which speed to play it :).
Emit Explorer (Instinct)
New em:t compilation from Instinct combines tracks
from earlier ('95) releases & might have some new
ones too (2295 is the last i have, so can't say
fer sure what's on this). Some great tunes here
to drop in any ambient dub set, a few faster than
usual #'s...but definitely has something to please
everyone.
Chris Niemitz
"The Trip"
KUSP National Public Radio for California's Central Coast
88.9 Santa Cruz, Monterey, Salinas
90.3 Los Gatos, West Santa Clara
9.7 Palo Colorado
91.7 Big Sur Coast
88.7 TCI cable radio
89.9 Monterey Peninsula TV cable radio