This just in from our friends at Mute USA...
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speedy J
a shocking hobby
release date: april 18, 2000
Rotterdam based Jochem Paap, aka Speedy J, releases his new album, A
Shocking Hobby, on April 18th.
Jochem burst onto the electronic dance scene in the early '90s with a brace
of expansive and exploratory albums, G Spot and Ginger on Richie Hawtin's
embryonic Plus 8 label. Twisting the familiar, Paap, along with the likes
of Black Dog and Aphex Twin, was credited with the shift in electronic
music away from the dance floor towards the cerebral, creating music with a
breadth and depth capable of sustaining it's momentum across a whole album.
Public Energy No.1, also on Plus 8, was a true masterpiece with each
carefully considered sound and segment fitting together in a perfect
symmetry of beats, soundscapes and eerie effects. Rightly proclaimed as one
of the albums of the year Public Energy No.1 received plaudits from a wide
spectrum - Muzik (album of the month), Mixmag, Select and The Independent
to name but few. However, the album was merely a pointer towards the
wayward and often challenging musical threads he was set to develop.
For Jochem, the last two years have seen an artistic growth and a sideways
shift away from the claustrophobic confines of the 'dance world' toward new
challenges. He has recently worked with Michael Shamberg (producer of
videos for New Order, Grace Jones, REM) on the sound track for his new
movie Souvenir featuring Kristen Scott-Thomas and Christina Ricci. As
well as collaborating with the Dutch Wind Ensemble on a musical event which
was broadcast live on national television, he has also collaborated with
Mike Paradinas (U-ziq) as Slagboom Van Loon and has recently remixed
Micronauts and supplied music for various commercials. Future work with
Japanese visual artist Daizaburo Harada (Sakamoto, YMO) confirms his desire
to extend his portfolio and develop an understanding of the range of his
electronic art.
In 1999, Speedy J officially signed to NovaMute in the US and released the
'Ieee Mitten Menu' 12-inch. Now he delivers his first NovaMute
full-length, A Shocking Hobby.
The eleven tracks of A Shocking Hobby remain as groundbreaking and intense
as ever. Returning again and again to the themes that informed his last
album, A Shocking Hobby delves further into the unconscious mind of its
creator. Dispensing with obvious discernible reference points, the album
has a unique feel and flow to it, sounding like half-remembered dream
segments as it floats and creates atmospheres with an Eno-esque ease.
'Hard' ambient opener 'Terre Zippy' sets the tone, while the masterpieces
'Borax', 'Balk Acid' and 'Drill' re-visit the caustic beats and epic sweeps
of classic Speedy J and bears the hallmark features: melody, aggression and
his unique attention to detail.
'Vopak' recalls the musical boundaries visited on previous outings, 'Amoco
Cadiz' has a dark, electronic hip hop feel, while the filmic closing piano
refrain of 'Manhasset' is an indication of how far Speedy has come on his
voyage of sound exploration.
A Shocking Hobby is a further reminder of the risk-taking genius of Speedy
J and a further leap away from the mainstream towards the establishment of
a new sonic vocabulary in electronic music. It is a tremendously intense
experience with an unrivalled sense of warmth and musical depth.
for more information, contact:
Steve Brezenoff, Mute Publicity
212.255.7670.ext.241.or.steve@mute.com
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