Hello.
Just some reviews and views from Oslo. Some of the records might be
reviewed at the ambient- and/or UK-Dance lists, but I think you'll
find some gems here.
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Bandulu - Now (UK Infonet 10")
2. Strange breakbeat-driven IDM'ish two-tracker. Some melody,
but more as a recurrent motif than a melody. Heavy drums.
Braincell - Too hot to trot (GER Harthouse 12")
2, 17.48. Deep and pulsating trance from Swedish Cari Lekebush.
Much 909 and acidy sounds. Not too good on its own, but a more
than good enough 'filler', so to say. Something to play before a
foolproof anthem.
Children of the Bong - Sirius sounds (UK Planet Dog CD)
8, 73.44. Banco de Gaia had a concert in Oslo some months ago,
and the kids played before Marks, with great success. An
eclectic mixture of advanced (mostly midtempo) 808/909
programming and filtering on various synths (I saw at least two
303's during the gig), this album is really fresh, and the
children are, as the pressnote says, 'Planet Dog's best kept
secret' (or something like that). Recommended for it's
originality and uniqueness.
Clubbed to Death - Clubbed to Death (CD experience) (UK Mo Wax CDS)
6, 40.00. An orchestral piece here from Rob Dougan, and in a
host of mixes too. Some very melancholic strings layed over a
phat beat makes almost for that "Unfinished sympathy" feeling,
though that is of course impossible to achieve these days. Also
there are mixes from Peshay, La Funk Mob and Carl Craig, who are
not so true to the original.
Drum Club, the - Live in Iceland (UK Sabrettes CD)
8, 60.02. Recorded over two nights and four locations, this
album is a mixture of old and new tracks. Some
straight-forward-head-banging techno, some dubbish strangeness,
some calm chords...A varied album. Bit hard to recommend,
actually. Then again I was never that much into Drum Club,
anyway. But it has it moments.
Electronic Eye - The idea of justice (UK Beyond CD)
9, 76.11. Eccentric Mr. Richard H. Kirk releases another weird
and fascinating album on Beyond, home of the "Ambient
dub"-series. Harsh solo sounds and actually some quite funky
drums in places, I tell you. Hard to describe: better to say
that it's been in my CD-player for two weeks now, rarely to be
ejected. A good purchase.
Funk D'Void - Jack me off (UK Soma 12")
4. More from Soma, who are really on a roll these days. Who are
Funk D'Void? I don't know. Their music is harsh house with
bubbling synths ("Jack me off"), Basic Channel'esque synth stabs
with delay over a frantic hi-hat with small arpeggios slowly
taking over ("Wide open"), epic synthchords over light and slow
drums and claps with a sharp solosound ("Thank you - slowly")
and a faster version in "Thank you". Recommended.
Granny - Ty phoo/Rich tea (UK Seismic 12")
2. This one marks six releases so far from Paul Brogden's label
and sees him collaborating with Claudio Giussani. Paul has done
work as Clanger and POB and remixed the likes of Raze, Sasha and
D:Ream. Claudio should be well known as one half of Union Jack
(the other half being Simon Berry, who also is one half of
Clanger). These two tracks are very different from other tracks
that are out there, partly because of the dub-influence, the
chant samples, the majestic chords, the acid-elements and the
strange POB breakdowns. Very good 12". Wonder how the previous
five are like?
Herb n' Decay - Dub culture (UK Pterodactyl 12")
4. The first release from the sublabel of NINEBARecords.
Dedicated to drum and bass (which might be anything these days),
this one has a male soulvocal (not unlike Aaron Neville!) and
unlikely brassamples over the fast jungle/breakbeats on the
first A-side track ("When the party's over"), then moving on to
more traditional jungle through the next three. All in all, a
good debut. But who wrote and produced it? White labels are the
DJ's burden.
Luke Vibert - EP (UK Mo Wax CDS)
3, 20.39. Three tracks all in the strange and wonderful land of
Vibert, who has posed as i.e. Wagon Christ and Plug before. "A
polished solid" opens calmly with strings and
nearly-orchestral-but-more-likely-to-be eastern sounds and a
heavy filtered beat before all hell breaks loose on 1.34. I
could go on and on about this and the other two tracks, but take
my word for it; if you like the Wagon Christ material and also
the Plug 12"es, just buy this. Almost as good as his Ruby remix.
Mouse on Mars - Iaora Tahiti (UK Too Pure CD)
13, 69.02. This album is created by Germans Andi Toma and Jan
St. Werner, and as on the last album, we are once again given
strange aural treatments. Impossible to describe, but they have
certainly put hard work into it. Excursions into electronica and
samplemania?
Pentatonik - Credo/Zeltgeist (UK Deviant CDS)
3, 20.35. R. Simeon Bowring certainly has his own interpretation
of technological music. Here we have two tracks that are not on
the "Anthology"-album. "Credo" is a lowpaced, but there are many
elements moving in relation to each other. Some solo sounds over
a calm beat and two main chords with variations is good. On
"Zeltgeist" we have a deep bass, a slow beat and a an acoustic
guitar to begin with, then a synth theme comes in. Then some
electric guitar noise, followed by a breakdown. And then it all
comes together. Very good, except for the electric guitar, which
I loathe.
Ruby - Paraffin (UK Creation double promo CDS)
8, 45.16. Yes, it's her from Sleeper. She's remixed by Richard
Fearless, Red Snapper and our hero - Luke Vibert! The original
is OK, the Fearless mixes are quite hip-hoppy and the Red
Snapper mix is good. But the cream of the crops is of course the
"Wagon Christ vocal" mix, which might very well be his best work
to date. Exhibit A: A teasingly slow, but strong and insanely
well programmed beat. Exhibit B: Various delays and
pitchshifting effects on the totally dry voice (NO reverb!).
Exhibit C: A beautiful organ with all new chords compared to the
original version. This is an ansolutely necessity! Marketed as a
double disc set, whereas the Vibert mix is on disc TWO. Don't go
wrong.
Thunderground - Canz/Singled out (UK Infonet 10")
2. A 10" from Bandulu's label, and I'm sorry to say it's not
really that good. Quite monotonous (a bit too much) and very
drumdriven, the two tracks seem too lend much of their idendity
to the formula hard house, which makes them a bit anonymous. But
I know there are many people who likes this particular brand of
house.
Transcend - 2001-2008 (UK Ntone CD)
8. I won't even bother trying to explain this weird shit. But
listen to it, chances are you'll like it, and then you will be
as dubbed out as the originators of these strange sounds (which
might be Digidub, I think). Highly innovative. Could might as
well be on Fax or Rather Interesting.
Various - 101+303+808=Now form a band (UK Sabrettes CD)
11. A taster of what is to come from Sabrettes. As the title
suggest, get a hold of the Roland machines, form a band and call
Sabrettes. That is, if you know where SH, TB and TR should be
placed when speaking of the numbers 101, 303 and 808. So, here
we have acid and lots of it. Not particularly ingenius, but acid
doesn't have to be either, right? Stomp around your appartment!
Irritate your neighbour!
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Also, I'm made some reviews for the ambient- and UK-Dance lists.
Check it out if you want to.
Christian
percf@notam.uio.no