Hello -
a relief from all the Aphextalk, I hope.
6th Sense Approach - 3rd Automatic Object in Action 12"
(Big Time/Reload, Belgium - REL 962109)
Ever-reliable Reload Records! Four tracks of incredible pounding Detroit/Tresor
gear - infused with slippery melodies and an intense amount of raw energy. No
fewer than a handful of overlapping rhythms at all times. Crazy twisting sounds
zigzagging through the mix, something like Source Experience. "Relax 2000" and
"The Player" are jacked to the sky in Landstrumm or Vogel effect. "Bob/
Subliminal Arbor Mix" is whipped up by UR's Suburban Knight from a flanged drum
sounds and a flickering buzz into an infectious (sounding quite BDP to these
ears) IDM monster. Killer! A "Scary Dog" remix by Trevor Rockcliffe has a
nervous melody which twitches over complex breakbeat house like a swarm of angry
electronic Locusts (or dolphins...) Experimental but still pretty slammin'.
This could be one of the finest Rephlex record (n)ever released! (10/10)
Kudos to: Chilling Seb, S Goosens, DJ Jerhom, L. Laret, and DJ Kaoz.
Anyone have any more information about these folks?
Gut Lane - Firething Remixes (pt.III/III) 12"
(The Ocean Club - INT 193.206)
Trainspotters delight! Mixes by Ian Pooley, The Orb, Thomas Fehlmann, and Johny
Klimek. Gut Lane (Gudrun Gut) was one of the E. Neubauten girls - I'm assuming
the original track comes from her _Members of the Ocean Club_ CD, an album I've
been trying to track down for a quite a while)
Pooley's mix is his usual big-beat souffle, with a soft female voice cooing "his
firething" between the breaks in the slow-mo house rhythms. VERY seductive!
Could make you forget Bjork and even that sexy voice which babbles on in
Japanese on the opening track of the last Mouse on Mars LP. The brief "Radio
Mix" by Fehlmann/Klimek is... surprise! Breakbeat TripHop(!?) with whooshing
synths and some uncomfortably Depeche-like synthpop leanings. Must be Klimek's
fault, whoever he is. Fehlmann certainly provides that deep Sun Electric
atmosphere. . . thankfully distracting from the rap-like vocal delivery. It does
say 'radio' edit - and it could probably be a breakout hit if anyone ever hears
it. Definitely not D:ream or whatever other crap fills the floors. After
taunting with the 'he lets me use his firething', we find out what 'his
firething is'. I won't spoil the surprise. (:
The Orb's two mixes on the b-side dispense with the synthpop, recasting the
track as a tripped-out and oh-so-smooth lullaby. Submerged breaks... odd
'downtime' pauses... bass that's felt as much as it's heard - the usual Orbient
approach. Sounds uncannily close to a doped-up Spring Heel Jack with that
'letterboxed' cinematic backdrop and surehanded sweep. The expected Orb "Dub" is
even better - tearing the track up in true dub fashion, piecing it together like
a mosaic of twitterings, spiderweb beats, Massive Attack string sighs, and
blissed vocal loops. That wonderful Orb bass tows the mix along, in no rush to
go anywhere fast. Aces! (7/10)
Poachers on Acid - Ultrahigh 12"
(Force, Inc - FIM 114)
First off, this is a fuckin' GOREGOUS 2-sided picture disk, done in brilliant
colors and on thick-ass vinyl. Supposedly this is Alec Empire. So we have yet
another Empirial alias? Could very well be - as this is the sort of thouroughly
nutzoid scrambled jungle/house/Detroit techno thing that only Empire would (or
could!) concieve. It defies description - kicking effortlessly from wailing
sirens into stretches of concentrated rough-housed drum & bass. A
303/808/909/nxn juggernaut which starts and DOES NOT STOP! Four tracks - but
that's irrelevant. Somewhere between crazed _Br?ckenkopf_/_Generation Star Wars_
breakbeat explorations and the Pooley/Empire "Two Cowboys" series. Absolutely
awesome stuff. The melodies on " " even echo the psychedelic ghosts of those
Teutonic (twin) gods, Amon D??l I and II (?!) Empire has raised the bar on
himself yet again. The guy is incomparable! As 'difficult' and uncompromising as
it is, Poachers on Acid will move your feet with the best of 'em. This couldn't
be more perfect. It's also worth noting that Force have pressed this extremely
well - despite the picture disk nature of the vinyl, it still sounds amazing.
(10++/10).
Kushti - Lifers EP 12"
(Octopus - OTP 012)
it's produced by Plaid. Isn't that all you need to know? (:
I haven't heard "Stromboli" - so I can't compare. But "Hello, It's Wednesday"
(the .45 a-side) starts like a live mini-mix set, bobbing funky beats which
immediately set feet a'tappin', bits of strangled synth noise, and a "carnivale"
lightness of tone carried by some sharp trumpets and a wandering piano refrain.
The Handey/Turner touch is everywhere, never taking the track too seriously,
jumping into a MAD fresh scratch session which gives Invisible Scratch Pickles
some serious competition. Kushti never fall into the DMX/Slazenger throwback-
cheesiness trap. The music may be quirky, but it's artfully presented and
extremely well constructed. The two (33.3) b-side tracks are more fleshed-out
without losing a drop of their playful experimental edge. "U R Still Ahead" has
a standup bass groove, more wicked scratch-madness (complex enough to be
considered a second rhythm line), an 'everything-PLUS-the-kitchen-sink'
aesthetic, and what sounds like (but probably isn't) Mark E. Smith! Enter the
electro bleeps and... a smashing trumpet solo! Ooh la la - tres organique!
Strictly downtempo fare - the attention is on the illin' melody and flow, not on
the beats. The new & improved B-Boys would approve. Think Kushti will end up on
Grand Royal? Deliberate pingpong breaks are at the forefront of "Harvest Time" -
a frothy Pussyfoot/Ntone trip through ambient cool (as in 'fly')jazz. Look out,
Wiseguys! Bits of Spacer-esque vox peek through the thick wall of sound (ha
ha...) - and everything stops abruptly. Sad, because you could soak up this
'feel good' vibe all day and it STILL wouldn't be enough. (8.5/10)
more to follow tomorrow (DJ-T1000, Wallstar, Endemic Void, Vulva, etc)
-if you want me to. (:
comments/questions - gman2@sprynet.com
off with the run-out groove
G-Man II