here it is, BAM! and you say goddamn, this is the DOPE JAM!
Mbox:
idm.9311.gz
IDM TIMES VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia: Psychick Rhythms Volume One
KK 103 CDS
130 8:53 Pull
128 7:09 Psoudoun
130 4:36 Break/Shifted
130 8:51 Ensnared
130 6:41 Push
129 4:36 Break
New PWOG! Excitement! But wait, what's this in the liner notes?
Says here that it's "designed for mixing, for breaks, for possession,
for collection." I note a distinct absence of "for listening," but I
figure that's just an oversight, so I slap the disc on. Turns out
this is just a collection of PWOG beats with nothing else. I can't
even see mixing with them, they're not particularly interesting. It
sounds like they got enough elements together for an intro, then
strung them out for way too long. When are they gonna come out with a
REAL album? This thing depresses me.
The Sabres Of Paradise: Sabresonic
Warp CD16
130 6:57 Still Fighting
130 7:39 Smokebelch I
68 14:42 Clock Factory
70 8:14 Ano Electro (Andante)
100 5:38 R.S.D.
125 6:09 Inter-Lergen-Ten-Ko
140 7:13 Ano Electro (Allegro)
4:15 Smokebelch II (Beatless Mix)
It's amazing, but all I can think of when I listen to this CD is
"Depeche Mode." Pretty much every track on it sounds like it could be
a Depeche Mode instrumental piece. Not exactly what I expected coming
from Andy Weatherall, Jagz and Gary Burns, but it's not all bad. Very
dark (ie: Depechey) instrumental tracks, most not particularly dancy
although using a lot of familiar dance elements like TR-909s. "RSD"
is actually more in line with what I expected - heavy dub bassline,
slow drum loop and lots of weird atmospheric noises. I only wish
there were more tracks like it on the CD, because the other ones don't
really grab me. Too downbeat for dancing, not interesting enough for
listening. Another disappointment.
The Drum Club: Everything Is Now
Big Life BFLCD 3
126 6:51 Sound System
125 8:01 Follow The Sun
125 9:50 One Tribe
125 9:19 Sea Above The Clouds
126 5:47 Dream Time
126 5:45 I Really Feel
62 6:04 Spaced Out Locked In
8:28 Furry Meadows
125 7:23 Alchemy (Dazzler Mix)
Quiet, progressive/trancy stuff with a sort of acoustic leaning that
reminds me a little bit of Ultramarine - particularly "Sea Above The
Clouds" with its nonchalant 303 and acoustic piano. It is a well
known fact that Emma from Lush contributes guitar on a few tracks -
her contributions are nice and modest, not drowning the tracks in
layers of heavily reverbed guitar ambience. In fact, most of the
album is "nice and modest." Probably nice to come down to when you're
not quite ready for total beatlessness... Just make sure to program
out the strangely-placed "Alchemy" since it's the hardest thing on
here and quite a jar after the lovely space-out of "Furry Meadows."
Should've been the first track - oh well.
Fluke: Six Wheels On My Wagon
Circa CIRCDX27
122 7:12 Groovy Feeling (Make Mine A 99)
126 6:40 Letters
120 6:16 Glidub
123 7:24 Electric Guitar (Humbucker)
103 5:39 Top Of The World
120 7:40 Slid (Pdfmone)
110 5:10 Slowmotion
96 6:08 Spacey (Catch 22 Dub)
100 6:48 Astrosapiens
125 5:46 Oh Yeah
120 5:22 Eko
126 6:27 Life Support
Fluke definitely has a formula - bouncy house-ish tunes with
occasional bursts of weird lyrics that seem written more for sound
quality (ie: rhyme and rhythm) rather than intelligibility. Here's a
sample from Groovy Feeling: "may I salute you and the way that you do
what you do/ here's to you - you and you/ you and the groovy way you
do what you do/ i salute - through and through." OK, so it ain't
Shakespeare but it's actually kinda catchy with the fun music.
Unfortunately, the formula is only fun in limited doses, and this
album, at 77 minutes, ain't exactly a limited dose. The singer gets
progressively more annoying as the album goes on, ending on a really
bum note (in more ways than one) with "Life Support." Also sad is the
fact that the attempts to break out of the formula (eg: "Slowmotion")
aren't very good. Stick with the singles, I guess.
But wait, maybe they've got a surprise up their sleeve, cos also in
this package we find:
Fluke: The Techno Rose Of Blighty
[included free with "Six Wheels On My Wagon"]
118 7:09 Philly
116 5:53 Glorious
108 3:55 Cool Hand Flute
111 5:16 Joni
99 4:10 Easy Peasy
118 6:30 Phin
125 5:04 Jig
111 4:11 Taxi
107 2:52 Coolest
Philly was Fluke's first single, and I always liked the "Pan Am Into
Philly" version which starts off with a great big-band stomp and
gradually turns into a slick house track. So, after the seemingly
endless "Six Wheels On My Wagon" churned to a standstill, I put this
bonus CD in the player with a little optimism. Which was instantly
shattered by the dreadful lame-vocal-packed version of "Philly" which
opens the disc. My enthusiasm remained quite low until "Joni" came on
- a nice track, bouncy, with some nice melodies and actual playing
talent! "Easy Peasy" didn't hold up the standard though, sounding
like an outtake from one of William Orbit's weaker Strange Cargo
outings. "Jig" is pleasant, but the album ends weakly after that. I
just can't seem to figure out exactly what Fluke are trying to do. Is
it dance music? Listening music? It doesn't really work as either.
Some of it (eg: "Coolest") even falls into bad yuppie jazz territory.
I just don't get it.
Spun: If You Turn On
Love Phaser Productions LPP-2
117 11:48 Part One
121 16:51 Part Two
122 16:45 Part Three
124 14:57 Part Four
121 10:10 Part Five
Spun (real name Jason Drummond) is one of the most consistently
innovative and fresh DJs in the San Francisco/San Jose area. Never
flashy, his style is usually to crouch over the turntables, with his
long black hair obscuring his face. Despite his visual non-presence,
or perhaps because of it, his sets always rip hard. Funky hard beats
are his forte - not much straight 909 thump, lots of live loops. This
CD showcases a 70-minute set of Spun at his funky trippy best. You
should give this CD a listen, particularly if all you generally hear
has straight drum machine rhythms. This will open your eyes to the
possibilities of funk as a techno instrument.
Jon Drukman jdrukman%dlsun87@oracle.com
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This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence.