IDM Mailing Archive

wow, i've been so far gone into FAX land that i almost let a great thing like wagon christ pass me by...truly great stuff...what i'd like is to get some opinions about the redone ep and phat lab nightmare...i know this has probably all been discussed before, so sorry for bringing it up again, but i'd really like to get some more info on these other releases. recommendations for similar sounding material welcome. thanks thanks thanks! r. rdudley@mindspring.com

quoted 6 lines wow, i've been so far gone into FAX land that i almost let a great

> wow, i've been so far gone into FAX land that i almost let a great > thing like wagon christ pass me by...truly great stuff...what i'd like is > to get some opinions about the redone ep and phat lab nightmare...i know > this has probably all been discussed before, so sorry for bringing it up > again, but i'd really like to get some more info on these other releases. > recommendations for similar sounding material welcome. thanks thanks

Phat Lab Nightmare is a startling little number from Rising High and Mr. Vibert. I would say that most of the albums before and a little after the release of PLN on Rising High are "very dark", euphemistically speaking. I originally encountered the Wagon Christ material via Chill Out Or Die II, and knew(even before the release of PLN) that this wouldn't be an average ambient album. Most Rising High ambient releases are very unconventional, and unlike any other ambient material i've heard(exception:FAX, for its dark, & moody gothic sounds from age-old synths (Moog, ARP, Farfisa, etc..) All I can suggest to you are the following: New London School of Electronics-The Deepest Cut Pete Namlook-Silence/Silence II Chill Out Or Die Vol. II/Vol. III Compilations (of course)Aphex Twin-Selected Ambient Works II Derek Jordan

Derek Jordan wrote on Mon, 18 Sep 95 23:57:34 BST :

quoted 6 lines All I can suggest to you are the following:

> All I can suggest to you are the following: > > New London School of Electronics-The Deepest Cut > Pete Namlook-Silence/Silence II > Chill Out Or Die Vol. II/Vol. III Compilations > (of course)Aphex Twin-Selected Ambient Works II

Are you saying these were all released on RH? If not, then that's the implication you might give to the uninitiated. Silence II never came out on RH although Silence I did (and was I think uniquely available on Vinyl on this label.) Both of course originate from FAX And of course Aphex's SAWII is on WARP There are a whole lot more excellent ambient LPs on RH as you say. I would recommend MLO - IO (an overlooked masterpiece - I voted it one of my top eight in the fairly recent pollactivity on the Ambeint list, and was the only person to nominate it.) James Bernard - Atmospherics Dreamfish (another FAX refugee) Neutron 9000 - Lady Burning Sky J ^ __________ ________.__/_____ _||_/ James Skilton aka Steady J _[]/_____________[.__\____-_ DJ and Party Animal | | Part Time Hedonist |____________________________| Full Time Technohead |__|-' '-|__| Steady-J@Firefox.co.uk

On Tue, 19 Sep 1995, James Skilton wrote:

quoted 3 lines Are you saying these were all released on RH? If not, then that's the

> Are you saying these were all released on RH? If not, then that's the > implication you might give to the uninitiated. >

True. This reply was mainly for "dark" sounding albums similar to Phat Lab Nightmare.

quoted 2 lines I would recommend

> I would recommend > MLO - IO

I'm still not sure how to swallow this one! Granted, it's a good album, but a bit too minimalist "by-the-numbers" ambient. I could send you a copy of the 1HR 1MIN 1SEC album (The white label MLO album limited to 1000 copies), far better than IO...

quoted 1 line James Bernard - Atmospherics

> James Bernard - Atmospherics

I don't think I need to say anything about this one. PURE ambient-techno at its finest! I might want to get another copy of this one!

quoted 1 line Dreamfish (another FAX refugee)

> Dreamfish (another FAX refugee)

I've heard the entire album on RH compilations, why the hell should I buy the album? Except for the fish on the cover!

quoted 1 line Neutron 9000 - Lady Burning Sky

> Neutron 9000 - Lady Burning Sky

Great tracks, but I missed out on this one. Derek Jordan

On Wed, 15 May 1991, rd wrote:

quoted 1 line wow, i've been so far gone into FAX land that i almost let a

> wow, i've been so far gone into FAX land that i almost let a

great > thing like wagon christ pass me by...truly great stuff...what i'd like is > to get some opinions about the redone ep and phat lab nightmare...i know > this has probably all been discussed before, so sorry for bringing it up > again, but i'd really like to get some more info on these other releases. > recommendations for similar sounding material welcome. thanks thanks > thanks! > > r. > > rdudley@mindspring.com > the reply: i take it you have throbbing pouch? Throbbing pouch is vital; it's got absolutely swinging beats, crazy shifts in sounds and rhythms, and is almost instantly accessible on the first listen, very cheerful, even. I love the way he drops off 90% of the mix and keeps some background loop/shuffle rhythm going, real quiet, something that was in the background for the past 2 minutes but you barely heard it. it's formulaic? but i don't care, it is smooth. In 1989, i would have expected that the groundbreaking hip-hop genre back then (de la soul, bdp, pe, eric b, etc) would in five years evolve into something that would produce work like throbbing pouch. Do you know what i mean? (By the way the "hello" sample on one song is from de la soul's "buddy". What's the "flavor hits yr greedy tongue" from? I think it's on "reedin") We've heard a lot about plugs 1 2 and 3 (also a tribute to "3 feet high and rising" era de la soul, i believe, where they call each other plug 1 2 & 3. Or is there a more common colloquial meaning to "plug 1" that i'm missing? Hey wait: 3 feet high and rising, rising high records, hmm.) ... so I won't speak on those. But here's how some other wagon christ compares, as i see it, all on rising high records, in reverse chronological order, i think: the REDONE ep: 3 mixes; 1 by aphex twin, one by wagon christ, one by voafose or boymarang, i can't remember and the sleeve is confusing anyway. The afx remix is sort of rdj's take on jungle, but not really, only in the sense that it's got super breakneck percussive tempos. it's not at all vibrant like the throbbing pouch album is. it's too manic for me. i much prefer rdj's calm, melodic stuff. the remix wagon christ did himself is pretty good, but it's got a lot of the same elements as the original. RICKALESSI ep: 3 new ones, one off tp, by wagon christ. some excellent remixes with elements of the title song off throbbing pouch. contains a song with an abrasive "you should see how i'm feeling" sample of some grating annoying limey dwarf. AT ATMOS ep: 5 songs. THIS is the one to get as, IMHO. dubby, mature, constantly evolving tunes. a couple tunes begin w/ off kilter warbly feeble legged rickity noises, which slowly evolve into rythmic melodies, become complemented by other elements that drift into the mix, until the whole becomes coherent, complex yet not at all confusing, and it really does swing. PHAT LAB NIGHTMARE: full length eight songs. an appropriate title. bad dreams; unexpected, experimental changes; solitude, yet some definite grooves. more "ambient" or spacious than his later work; less beats. what beats there are are on the mechanical and inorganic side, some 808 sounding stuff peppered in. no one would call this "trip-hop", whereas many feel "throbbing pouch" falls into that category. phat lab nightmare has a lot more synth textures, rather than samples. some of the songs: "mahadelic" is the strong opener; lush trebley synth slides and holds, with a ramshackle percussive bell melody line that eventually manages to undo the bandana its got wrapped around its mouth. then everything drops out for a shuffling bongo solo. next song "glass world" slowly introduces a synth gurgle, which starts out really quiet as barely sputtering periodic bubbles and gestates into a echoey acid tweaked out lonely wasteland figure. the middle song in the "aerhaart" trilogy begins with some gigantic bass reverb monolith slams, they give way to some breathy voiseish chords, then you realize the bass reverb monster footsteps are still there, at 120% the original volume. the third "aerhaart" track presents us with the only obviously sampled drumbeat on the whole album; black sabbath's "wasp", stark and narcotic. the upbeat closing track "dances with frances", give us a forecast of the throbbing pouch style. phat lab nightmare is probably the closest thing to fax. this especially makes sense in light of the story that vibert was unexpectedly invited by rising high to make an "ambient" album. supposed, he was like, uh, yeah sure, i'm an ambient artist. And then he made up a bunch of stuff real quick. Regardless, it's quite an album.

On May 15, 1:55pm, rd wrote:

quoted 5 lines Subject: wagon christ question...

> Subject: wagon christ question... > wow, i've been so far gone into FAX land that i almost let > a great thing like wagon christ pass me by...truly great > stuff...what i'd like is to get some opinions about the redone ep > and phat lab nightmare...

"Phat Lab Nightmare", if you believe interviews with Vibert, was something of a pisstake. His story goes like this: the record label said, "we like your stuff, do you have any ambient stuff" to which he lied "sure!" He then put together an album's worth of material in short order, and they released it as "Phat Lab Nightmare." I've not heard it, but that story kind of pushed it down past the cutoff in my "must buy" list. "Redone" is remixes of Throbbing Pouch cuts, including an Aphex Twin mix. My "must buy" list runs more to his recent 12" material. The 'Plug' series are a wonderful take on jungle, and the Mo'Wax release under his own name is very tastey. As a sample cutup artist I don't think there's anyone right now who can touch him -- as much as I like Depth Charge and the Chemical Brothers, they don't have a patch on his blunted artistry. -- "... and your little dog, too!" kent.williams@cadsi.com [Kent Williams/CADSI/2651 Crosspark Rd/Coralville IA 52241/(319)626-6700]

Kent et al What title(s) exactly are you referring to. I would very much appreciate such info. thanks, Mitch

quoted 2 lines the Mo'Wax release under

> the Mo'Wax release under >his own name is very tastey.

*********************************************************** "The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease." - Voltaire Mitchell Bebel Stargrove, N.D., L.Ac. AMR'TA: Alchemical Medicine Research and Teaching Association

On Sun, 24 Sep 1995, Mitch Stargrove wrote:

quoted 4 lines Kent et al

> Kent et al > > What title(s) exactly are you referring to. > I would very much appreciate such info.

Presumably they're meaning 'A Polished Solid' (Mo'Wax, MW035). Michael ______________________________________________________________________________ scrot@sans.vuw.ac.nz (Michael Upton) "the desert stares back with a thousand eyes" - Coil ______________________________________________________________________________

It's the release with Luke Vibert in a circle on the cover. -- ---- kent.williams@cadsi.com [Kent Williams/CADSI/2651 Crosspark Rd/Coralville IA 52241/(319)626-6700] "Here is our family's history in a nutshell: 1850-1957: terribly hard times, many adventures, charming stories. 1957-present: watch Matlock, complain about grandchildren." - Ian Williams