quoted 2 lines From: Tom Millar <tmillar@utkux.utcc.utk.edu>>From: Tom Millar <tmillar@utkux.utcc.utk.edu>
>quoted 19 lines Flanger: Templates>Flanger: Templates
>Ntone CD33
>
>What? Huh? Did I say Bernd Friedmann? I believe the guiding light on
>this record must have been Atom Heart. Bernd Friedmann, whatever his
>choice of sounds, never really composes music you can call "sparse."
>This is sparse. Two-bit Acid Jazz all over the place. When Friedmann
>does whip it out it's pretty obvious, because suddenly everything gets
>this lush dubby feel and I start enjoying the record. Then it's just
>back to sad little vamps and organ doodles which I couldn't give two
>shits about really. God Dammit. I was really looking forward to this one
>and it's boring. Guess I'll listen to Deutscher Funk 2 again. Or
>Deutscher Funk 1, for that matter. Or my old Nonplace Urban Field stuff.
>Hell, it's all pretty much more interesting than this turned out to be.
>I think this is what happens when you work too hard, Bernd & Uwe. Calm
>down, release a few less records a year, guys. Look at what happened to
>Pete Namlook! Hey! We like you too much for that!
>
>Tom
I must humbly disagree with Tom's assessment of Flanger's
Templates. It's one of the *least boring* releases of
the year. It sounds positively restless with ideas, in fact.
I haven't heard a record that toggles between
the organic and synthetic with such rewarding results in...
well, a long time. Kind of conjures what I imagine a
collaboration recorded in Mego laboratories between Matmos and
Luke Vibert would sound like. It's a subtle, headphone
album, with all kinds of interesting microscopic sonic events
happening in an ADD-friendly manner. I often agree with Tom's
reviews, but I think he was off the mark with Flanger.
Dave Segal
Managing Editor/Alternative Press
Reviews/BPM/Reissue Redux/Origins Of Cool
Secret Ions on WCSB Thursdays 9-11PM EST www.wcsb.org
np: flanger- templates [ntone]