DJ Teep - Sewer Sound 60 and Pocket Bass C-60 (from the Treehouse, natch!)
At the top of the menu for Teep's psychedelic breakfast is fresh
hot jam on electro. These demonstrate what a DJ with the killer instinct
is capable of with the right ammunition. Teep splices his vinyl with the
kind of loving care that only a true beat head understands. Both tapes
head straight for the heart of 90's electro-funk and bite down like a
bulldog. If there's any justice the next JDJ CD will be our very own Aran
Parillo.
Subtropic - Homebrew CD (Reflective)
This is my pick of the recent rash of "intelligent jungle"
hybrids. Solid, varied rhythm programming and a fat, fat bass end
brighten up yet another feather in Reflective's cap. The emphasis here is
on the beats; samples and synth accents really help flesh out the sound
rather than drowning it in saccharine swirls or wailing house diva like,
say, T-Power or 4-Hero. This ought to knock some of the naysayers off
their fence.
T-Power - The Self-Evident Truth of an Intuitive Mind CD (SOUR)
It's difficult to guess what inspired all the hype surrounding
this album. It's certainly a very competent record, but it's also so
sugary that listening past the first three tracks is an act of real
self-abuse. Beats take a back seat to all kinds of cliched synthesizer
noodling and fruity samples. Much of this would be better categorized as
dub rather than jungle. Proceed at your own risk if you must but you're
much better off with Subtropic or Plug.
Kinesthesia - Empathy Box CD (Rephlex)
It's difficult to avoid comparisons to Aphex. These almost
classically melodic compositions evoke a fiercely lonely, melancholy
atmosphere that gradually dissolves into disjointed mechanical ambiance.
I can't put my finger on it, but there's something eerily masochistic and
tragic informing this music. Like most other Rephlex, _Empathy Box_
builds a unique intensity with its careful, introspective restraint. Now
that Grant and Richard are actually releasing records is there anything
standing between them and complete IDM domination?
Journeys by DJ Coldcut CD (JDJ? What label is this?)
There are moments of brilliance on this CD, but too often Black
and More spoil the groove in an effort to impress with their eclecticism.
In ranging from acid to jungle to ambient to hip-hop and on Coldcut dilute
their focus and fumble their best mixes. Ironically, the strongest
segment of the disk is mixed from Coldcut's own material. Mixing the Jedi
Knights' "Noddy Holder" into Plastikman is a stroke of genius, I'll admit.
This *will* probably send you scurrying out to find half of the 34 records
dropped into the mix, although almost certainly not Jello Biafra.
Jedi Knights - New School Science CD (Universal Language/Evolution)
_New School Science_ is as fun as it is goofy. The excellent
"Noddy Holder" and "May the Funk Be With You" are reprised from the Clear
EP, but the rest of the album is much lighter and brighter. The softcore
electro-porn of "Science Friction" clanks on for a long ten minutes before
the shift, but "Human Blancmage" and "Solina (the Ascenscion)" recall
Reload's prettiest moments with much cleaner production and an undeniable
funk. The lush, ambient "Afterlife" wraps things up and raises my hopes
for the new Global Comm. album.
Various - Objets D'Art 92::95 2CD (New Electronica)
A superb compilation from start to finish. The tracks from Balil
and Elegy stand out in an exceptional pack. If you have any interest at
all in early Black Dog or the first A.I., you need this.
LFO - Advance CD (Warp)
_Advance_ is doomed to disappoint all the longtime LFO zealots,
but, heard without preconceptions, it's an accomplished, imaginative
record with plenty of ear candy for those with systems capable of
reproducing it. This could be more accurately described as a Bell solo
record; eight of the twelve tracks are credited to him alone. The
industrial crunch of "Tied Up" breaks with the gentle, playful and melodic
personality of the rest of the album. Bell's legendary attention to
detail shows in the rich clean textures and in compositions with elegant
structure and flow. This will surely be one of the top albums of '96.
Various - It's All Becoming Clear CD (Clear)
This welcome compilation draws from the increasingly rare Clear
EPs to paint a gorgeous picture of an increasingly progressive label.
Clear is quickly outgrowing it's retro-electro roots. The surprise
standouts here are the Gregory Fleckner Quartet tracks, which skillfully
bridge jazz and funk with electronics in a startlingly distinctive style.
The new Plaid mix of "Angry Dolphin" infuses a heavy hip-hop energy and
makes me even more impatient for their new album. The Clatterbox tracks
are annoying, but they're easy to avoid on a CD. The wraparound package
is clever.
Muslimgauze - Islamaphobia 2CD (Staalplaat)
There's no denying that Bryn has absorbed a considerable
Mu-Ziq/Aphex influence. What's surprising is how seamlessly he's
incorporated it and how much sense it makes in fusion with Arabic
percussion styles. The mood of both disks is spontaneous and
improvisational, with short tracks and a deliciously grungy mix. Rhythmic
structures are more open, with a loose kinetic surge that propels these
tracks into a free dynamic inconceivable on previous albums. This is
probably his finest work to date.
Dandy Jack - Dandy Jack and the Cosmic Trousers CD (Rather Interesting)
As a mostly dance-oriented record on a predominantly ambient
label, this is probably doomed to neglect. This is a shame; Dandy Jack
has matched Atom Heart's inspired experimentalism with a fascinating,
idiosyncratic record infinitely more sophisticated than his earlier work
with Victor Sol as Xjacks. Like most of Rather Interesting's output, this
is difficult to classify. There are tenuous links to house, electro, and
old-school IDM, but each track is stamped with Dandy Jack's curious
musical personality. The album is beat-oriented, but much more suited to
careful home listening than the barbarities of the dance floor. The
soulful, longing "Loa" captures a human warmth rare in this genre. Anyone
with a taste for daring electronica should try these trousers on.
Herbalizer - Remedies CD (Ninja Tune)
The London Funk Allstars' album is too depressingly poor to
review. This one falters dangerously in the middle but compensates by
sandwiching its rotten core with the most ferocious hip-hop on the label.
At their best, the Herbalizers downplay their labelmates' jazz obsessions
and head straight for the big booming beat. The results can be
astonishing. Play "Up 4 the Get Downs" for all your friends that think
Wu-Tang is the only thing happening in hip-hop in '96.
Various - Flexistentialism 2CD (Ninja Tune)
_Flexistentialism_ is a bit of a let down. Several tracks are
repeated from recent albums and many of the new tracks are mired in a
lightweight hip-hop jazz that's more square than dope. Like Coldcut's mix
CD, too much effort is expended in absorbing every trendy style and too
little in composing tracks with real punch. That said, there's also good
new stuff from DJ Food and 9 Lazy 9, as well as an Luke Vibert's utterly
brilliant "Get Your Head Down." This will give newcomers a good idea of
what's up at Ninja Tune these days, but you're better off buying the DJ
Food, Funky Porcini, and 9 Lazy 9 albums and dodging the rest. It's hard
to imagine what people find so exiting about the Squarepusher remix. I
hope his own material is a bit more coherent.