IDM Mailing Archive

Various-EQUANIMITY (The GPR Concept Album) General Productions Recordings GPR LP 11 3xLP(Gatefold) w/ short story from MIXMAG writer Pete McIntyre

quoted 1 line TRACKS:

> > > TRACKS:

Ways & Knowing-'wenalt' Magnet-'fulcrum' Max 404-'shape shifter' Spherical Identity-'ortoscopic' Kabala-'eleutheria' Cherry Bomb-'filterback' YO3-'well balanced diet' Germ-'con' John Dalby-'pash' Takeshi Kurosawa-'dialogue' 7th Plain-'wishbone' Beaumont Hannant-'volumetric tendencies' Dfuse-'libra' Nev-'extra for you, empty to me' Radioactive Lamb-'tyrian' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Has anyone else noticed that some GPR vinyl releases are (gasp!) shrinkwrapped? What's going on here? Someone out there cares about the damage that can be done to a cardboard sleeve after being tugged and pulled through our beloved worldwide postal service? Yipes and Kadzooks!!!! This album is truly a delight for everyone who loves the abstract. It also comes with a story called EQUANIMITY by Pete McIntyre, who sometimes disses some otherwise excellent albums in MixMag. Now then... 'Wenalt' comes off like something from (again?) Florence (aka Steffan Robbers), because DOMINIONS simply was way ahead of its time in 1993, and it spawned a whole new generation of warm analog grooviness from a host of IDM artists. Quite warm, sort of moody, and just a good "listening" track. 'fulcrum' has a distinct rough edge to it, and could be safely compared to the works of Nev, or Aphex. Quirky. 'shape shifter' is nothing too unreal or shining, but a good track with nice sounds, it's not too housey, which is typical of some Max404 stuff. 'ortoscopic' is a real head trip, with a synth sound taken from '92, and is allowed to fuck around inside your consciousness for awhile (at least until the next track comes in...) It has an industrial edge to it in the background, giving the track a real eerie vibe to it. 'eleutheria' is really tribal and dark sounding, another one for the head. 'filterback' is funky with its muted "can't stop" vocal. Cool stuff. 'con' takes that IDM abstractness and makes it a bit obtuse with some quirky moments and a sample repeating "a known objective", or "unknown objective". Funny, funky & pretty darn weird!! 'volumetric tendencies' is B.Hannant at his best, giving us his epic swirls, and washes of sounds. The track is unlike anything on T&T 2, or Texturology, and especially not SCULPTURED. That's why you need this comp. 'libra' is a more laidback, ambient, atmospheric track, and mixes well in an experimental, "quiet" set of IDM/Ambient, if that's your cup o tea. 'extra for you, empty to me' reminds me of the sound collages from THX-1138(which I watched with great intensity last night to finish up this review), which a computer voice saying, "your equation, not mine..." Nev is quite a weird fellow, and I still can't quite get over his track on Trance Atlantic, 'chewy mate, someday'. I can't wait for his INSIDE NevSound album, if he'll even call it that at all! Another quirky one. 'tyrian' is an alien soundscape which if you're not paying attention, will make you think your needle is stuck in the vinyl groove, or you've been dancing too much, and shook your CD player, making it skip. Don't worry, it sounds like that purposely! An excellent track from the magnificient Radioactive Lamb. Finally, we come to 'pash', and 'wishbone'(John Dalby, and 7th Plain respectively..). 'wishbone' reminds me more of the background soundtrack from ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK where Snake Plissken is trying to cross the 69th St. Bridge with "The President" near the end of the flick, an eerie, dark & twisted little cut from Luke Slater. His 7th Plain material is better than just about everything on GPR as of late. I love his stuff. And, he's dating the British Prime Minister John Major's daughter! 'pash' is in the similar vein as 'con', and 'tyrian', thinking mans' hardcore, complete with rubbery sounds. 10/10 The storys' not too bad either...If you can read it! Derek R. Jordan Next: Elements Of & Experiments In Sound-Planet E Germ-Parrot-GPR Records I won't be reviewing Scorn-ELIPSIS, or Esoterik-Basslines Of...--Danny Ryan @ Kudos told me the Esoterik project ISN'T Kirk Degiorgio.