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teepe reviews #1 (numero uno)
These reviews may be freely reproduced electronically,
but I doubt that they will be. If you reprint them in a
undergound publication, cool, send me a copy of your rag
and I'll send you one of mine.
this time
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Aftermath #2 (12") - Nightmares On Wax (Warp)
The American Lie (12")- Beverly Hills 808303 (Reference Communications)
Analogue Bubblebath 4 (12") - AFX (Rephlex)
Double Dutch (Tape) - TV-99-AD (?)
Florence - Intersection (12") - Stefan Robbers (eevo lute muzique)
Plastique (12") - Plastikman (NovaMute)
Smooth Stan Smith (12")-Paul Johnson (Dance Mania)
Somethin Bugged(12")-The Untouchables (Strictly Rhythm)
Spanners (Tape) - Black Dog Productions
Techno Scratch (12") - Knights of the Turntables (JDC)
--
Aftermath #2 (12") - Nightmares On Wax (Warp)
I suffered a massive flash back when I found this in some
geezers yard sale! thank you dj stupid! :) Sal Batardes
is the jam. Progressive house the way it should be. Breaky
dub drums and deep Warp bass. (Think Freebass or Homebass Clonk).
Smack dab in the middle of the 12" NOW cuts the deck.
This time around, when the beat drops back in, we find ourselves
up one cloud higher. Cloud 10. You know the one with the big
warehouse sound? Right. Sounds of the Kraftwerk house nation. IDM.
--
The American Lie (12") - Beverly Hills 808303 (Reference Communications)
Back when I used to go down to Brooklyn, we'd love to hug the
bins and listen to this kid they called Adam turn it out.
He spun crazy quick acid with that distinctive freestyle groove.
More pop's than then a candy shop. But as well as X could make it
funky, he'd hit you just as hard. Fists on the fader, eye level
with the pitch. This one takes me back. As the title suggests,
expect low-tech-high-treble-rugged-mental-electronics. Right!
--
Analogue Bubblebath 4 (12") - AFX (Rephlex)
I'm in the majority when I wonder out loud what is wrong with this
release? As sez sim Freeke it is _weird_! I file this one next to
my Quoth remix. One track I don't play (the surf version of Quoth).
Two tracks that are worn silly flat (Iketa/Bucket). And that last
elusive track, my girl Friday. She is not one of your favorite
jams, but she is there for you when you want to turn the screw
and toss in some bonus bass <wooooo!> (that be the Quoth remix).
The <wooooo!>track is my girl Friday. Minimal enough to sneak into
a break or UNDER a four foot thumper. Press it up into the red
and make 'em lose control! <wooooo!!> (I'm losing control)
The inner track on this side is a bit standard dance fare, but that
just means it's a bit more "universal". It kicks. And I WILL
play it, when I feel like getting thumpy. Part of my reluctance
to listen to this track stems from the odd feeling I get when I think
about that bootleg I have from November 1993. With this on it.
<waaaaah!!>
side two! (redemption song!)
The outer track here is classic RDJ. Cross dressing electro.
Miss j4 j5, that's "je four je five!" classic! I think that's
what Dave Walker said. . . or was it cheezy? ;) What it IS?
High rolling electro, like a crazy pitched up remix of green calx.
It is no lie, Bubblebath 4 does dabble in kids-show tunesqueness.
But I like that kind of mu ziq (right!). Aye Caramba!
They WILL be playing this track at the coronation of the king of
breakdowns. Hold tight! This time around he's a real killer.
Sounds of the bubblebath four! We ARE spoiled.
PS: There is another track (the one that makes you wonder if your
stylus is dying). Dave Walker did a grand job describing it.
Find your way to the gopher site (hyperreal.com) and see for y'self.
TsA: (Trianspotter Ancillaris) this makes 4 track bubblebaths the norm.
. . :.(
--
Double Dutch (Tape) - TV-99-AD (?)
Bilspier beats! The Netherlands are cranking it up in many
positive directions. This is a 40+ minute funky electronic
jam by an unsigned *band* of three. To establish a point of
reference think Global Communication at the controls of Black
Dog Towers. Tribal tones mingle with wood blocks and spikkels
acid. Classic melody sounds and super dub production. Spacey
techno bop. The electronic expansions here are easily worthy of
a nod from the Artificial Intelligence series. The roots techno
beats here are maintained and created fresh from some kids head.
That makes it Intelligent Dance Music through and through.
More recently they have been teaming up with the spirit of Roy Castle.
A kid named Roland has added some trumpet to the future sound of
the Lowlands. TV-99-AD take a bow.
Expect a 'binnenlands' soon, that would mean import for me and U.S.
--
Florence - Intersection (12") - Stefan Robbers (eevo lute muzique)
Versnellingsbak! Here we go again! Stefan fronts up some
'electronic techno music'. Bouncy electro with the emphasis on
acid bass. What's going on here? I think were in the midst of
an electro renaissance and I'm loving every minute of it.
Rip it up hand claps and high hats! Deep warehouse reverb. Robbers
recreates the aural equivalent of watching water tornadoes trail off
the stern of a Laser. The composition is supreme. Alternating
effects and melody, techno and drums breaks. A real treat at home
and trick on the dance floor. This is one cool piece of wax!
Imagine a UR vs. Morley (Orbital remix) treated in the Lowlands.
--
Plastique (12") - Plastikman (NovaMute)
Richie keeps it rollin. This guy works percussion like a modern day
Chico Hamilton (beatbox quintet!). So tuff, man this track is fresh!
Rich is flexing a bit of that street smart strength called F.U.S.E.
with knockout syncopated electro beat scaffolding draped sky high in
double dipped sheets of velvety plastik man acid. Fucking beautiful!
It's all coming together for this kid Hawtin. MUCH EXPANSION!
I'm thrilled he's front page news, jah knows he's been kickin round
the underground fer yeahrs! Respect! Word on the street is that he
spins from the heart with a tip of the cap to the wild style.
What more could you ask for, wheelups and bluff limbo? You got it!
Soul.
--
Smooth Stan Smith (12") - Paul Johnson (Dance Mania)
Dance Mania lights the way with another heady foray into 'acid' house.
These kids have a penchant for rounding out the grooves and softening
up your karma. What do I mean? Exhibit A. The washed out sound
of r and b samples oozing through syncopated and soulful Chicago
acid house. Christ it sounds crazy mad low tech! Like they pressed
up some playable iron on decals!! You know, the ones with sparkles.
Funny thing is, the vynal is flawless. The krackles, pops, and low
tech vibe is intended. The product is beautifully buggin bass!
What really gets me going is this track called Swing Side. If ever
there was a *perfect groove* this is my perception. Deep down to the
soul funk jazz techno. True groove.
I'm going back to get a second copy so I can string this up for days.
--
Somethin Bugged (12") - The Untouchables (Strictly Rhythm)
Kenny Dope touches down into IDM territory with this 5 PM
(soundfactory time) jam. Really! This one goes out the full
nine minutes. Bluesy horns and jazzy bass. Buckethead boots up
the pushin dope drum loop. Toss in some stretched (read: bottomless)
soul vocals. . .and Strictly Rhythm makes it into an IDM post.
Proper!
--
Spanners (Tape) - Black Dog Productions
In the true spirit of BDP Cryptical Confusion I think this one
will go DEEP. Hold tight. Three blind mice. One with a grand
vision. A foot in la mer and a hand in the air. A second with a
profound sense of tribal. This percussionist can lay it out in
a set of keys, buttons and dials. The last mouse is on mars.
Buggin dubbyness dubby promoish. So delicious! (read: excellent)
--
Techno Scratch (12") - Knights of the Turntables (JDC)
This one is sure to be a Terra Posse anthem. Singular 808 electro
drum patterns with scratching soaked in delay. Nothing more
nothing less. It feels so old school but I do wonder. . . .
Proud sons of the funkadelic productions indeed! Fans of the
DREXCIYA 4 will appreciate this. A whole side jam that I use
when I want my set to hit rock bottom. . .er,
when I want my set to rock bottom. (read: slow true groove)
de mazzel!
Teep
respect due to the infrastructure, hyperreal.com, the kids keeping
it all together, the heavyweights, and all krew!