Well I've got a shitload of stuff in the past few weeks.
Here's an overview:
Lobe - Lobe (swim~, 10 tracks 46 min.)
clearly the better of the 2 most recent releases on Swim.
"LOBE is a 24 yr. old male psychiatric nurse.." What bearing
this has on the music, I'm not sure. The disc sounds fine,
any track would work fine in an ambient/techno set, though
there's nothing earth shattering. Beats on this are a bit
like those you'd find on a Global Communication/Reload track,
however the synth sounds seem a little dated.
G-Man - Kushti (mega mix) (7 tracks listed, only 2 are on the
CD - 57 minutes, apparently there are 5 additional tracks on the vinyl)
"2 hours worth of material has been digitally layered by Mark Gage
(Vapourspace) into 1 hour of concentrated G-Man (LFO), not a beat
has been skipped, not a minimal note lost (you never hear less than
2 tracks at once!)" reads the hype. Sorry, but I find this
to be two very long, boring tracks. The tracks do build very
slowly & some may find that the gradual change that occurs
over time to be interesting.....I find that it just takes
too damn long for any variation & with no variation in the
(unrelenting) beat I lose interest very easily. Sounds
very much like DJ Pierre.
The Carmelite Nun - Spirit of the Zither (Milan, 13 tracks,
57 min.)
first it was Gregorian Chants, then a resurgence in interest
in Hildegarde von Bingen, Now its Carmelite nuns playing
the zither (well only one actually, but if it catches on...
look out for imitators). Actually this disc is quite a
relief after listening to G-Man. A very austere nun playing her
own compositions (with titles like "Birth", "Dawn" & "Solitude"). Sister
Claire Benedictene probably won't be playing any chill-out rooms soon, but
you might hear this disc playing the next time
you visit your acupuncturist.... (Oh, and it's great to fall
asleep to, too).
Various - Fuse 3 global chaos (Nation, 13 tracks, 78 min.)
Never knew there was a 1 & a 2....Nation assembles several of
their artists & adds a few to fill out the disc. Not the
strongest Nation compilation, but there are some good
tracks (as well as some duds). Asian Dub Foundation do
jungle, Fundamental do upbeat techno drum n bass, Transglobal
Underground do trance house with a vaguely world beat, Syzygy
do a slow acid hop # w/ vocal samples, Phluide turn in some
equally odd sounds w/ hints of world drums. Overall
not bad, but nothing to run out & grab right away...
something you probably want to preview b4 picking up
to see if the good:bad tracks ratio is worth it to you.
Velocette - sonorities by starlight (Reflective, 8 tracks,
68 min).
Best Reflective (CD) cover to date... This disc continues
the Reflective tradition...probably more regular beats &
melody on this that the last 2 (Subtropic & Kid Spatula).
Beats fall somewhere between hip hop & electro & house. Best tracks
are #3,4,6& 8. i find the synth sounds on 2 a little cloying,
the house beat on 5 & 7 to be a little on the monotonous
side. #8 is probably my fave of the bunch & sounds like a cross
between Reload & the new school electro...
Chris Niemitz
c/o KUSP
PO Box 423
Santa Cruz CA 95061
KUSP National Public Radio for California's Central Coast
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