lately, folks have mentioned a detailed compiler, subtitled 'a thread
through time' released on the scottish imprint t&b vinyl late last year.
having now located one i can recommend it entirely, & offer these words to
those eager for more:
archiving a ancestry of audio exploration from the early 1980s to
the present day, 'out there' lovingly collates a lineage of innovation from
northern Europe. idm-ers inspired enough to hunt out their origins will
find a good many surprises. from england, zoviet france conjure the earthy
ambience of rainstorms at dusk. their descendants, horizon 222 concoct a
sample scramble of repetitive bears in a diluted rarefied reggae form.
black dog, post-temple pre-spanners, offer 'bumfluff' improvised live at
the towers from february of last year. a stolen & contaminated song is
mutated by coil's edgy memetic technologies. the lords of afford, andrew
weatherall & david hedger release two interpretations, one indulgent one
more composed, of 'circular soar/sore', contrasting nicely with gto's sound
advice to 'take it easy'. from the far north, electric sahko material is
donated by mika vainio: the microscopic 'atomit' compares well with the
voluptuous 'eetteri'. holland's psychick warriors ov gaia surrender the
initial version of 'dust'. the hague's underground collective Unit Mobius
submit the magnificent 'panta rhei'.
many of the best tracks here are homegrown originals from scotland.
free space comm, kookie, re:search, as well as t&b themselves, are all
edinburgh inhabitants & oft frequent the weekly split level sweatbox on
carlton street known as pure. more than merely a place of association, this
longstanding weekly techno ritual has matured into a hotbed of ingenious
creativity. as evidenced by the soulful electronics of karen x or the
rhythmic percussive workout of secret agent no.1. an initial production
opportunity for some but none the less unique or original for it. even with
minimal resources, inventiveness stands alone.
cti originally recorded 'dancing ghosts' in 1983. pioneering the
use of a roland 808 & 303, it was technically the first ever purpose-built
acid track. constantly reaching toward the furthest horizons of sound cti
have cultivated exotic intrigues for more than a decade & here, remastered,
possibly the most rewarding piece on the compilation. (an album of chris &
cosey cover versions will be released on t&b vinyl later this year).
predominantly post-industrial & highly contemporary, the numerous
tracks lean towards more darker electronic sounds of droning saturation,
welded to body functional beats. far in excess of generic typecasting, this
is non-commercial music of spirit, with enough character, force & integrity
to confound genre categorisation. available on four 12"s or two cds, the
package is decorated by martin allen's alchemical mandalas, curious
esoteric collages of insects, dolls, flowers & gothic typescript.
distributed in europe by plastichead, any difficulties in locating 'out
there' should be voiced directly to +44 (0)1491 825 029.
ciao, *des*