IDM Mailing Archive

At 11:57 AM -0400 10/24/97, you wrote:

quoted 13 lines I just found a place with a bunch of deleted Laswell titles for

>I just found a place with a bunch of deleted Laswell titles for >$5.99-$6.99 and I'm wondering which of them are worth getting. >Mini-reviews, tips or whatever on the following are appriciated: > >Laswell "Psychonavigation" >Laswell/Thaemlitz "Web" >Laswell/Various "Valis 1" >Laswell/Various "Divination: Ambient Dub 1" >Laswell/Various "Divination: Ambient Dub 2" >Laswell/Harris "Somnific Flux" >Laswell/Cypher 7 "Security" >Laswell/Cypher 7 "Decoder" >

All worthwhile, according to taste. I liked all of these titles except Valis, which was too hip-hoppity. Psychonav, Web, Somnific are all dark broody moody ambient. Security and Decoder, as well as Ambient Dub 1 and 2 (really?) are more dub-oriented atmosphere. All well worth going into debt. Also add - Sacred System 1 and 2 Dub Terror Exhaust Automaton... Basslines (continue until check bounces) Oh, right, and Sakamoto's "Neo Geo", lest I forget! 3

Greg Clow <stained@interlog.com> wrote:

quoted 3 lines I just found a place with a bunch of deleted Laswell titles for

>I just found a place with a bunch of deleted Laswell titles for >$5.99-$6.99 and I'm wondering which of them are worth getting. >Mini-reviews, tips or whatever on the following are appriciated:

All right then, some short key word descriptions. Haven't listened to a few of these in a while so ...

quoted 1 line Laswell "Psychonavigation"

>Laswell "Psychonavigation"

Extended, mostly dark, but not too dark ambient excursions with some very subdued (for Laswell) bassline rumblings (in spots) and echoing noises, bleeps & hums. Mostly sparse and minimal, but things do get dense at times. Think deep space. 2 long 20+ min tracks and one about 10 min.

quoted 1 line Laswell/Thaemlitz "Web"

>Laswell/Thaemlitz "Web"

Skittering 'found sounds' and metallic noises on top of layered ambient and organic (water f.e.) textures. Dark & rumbling in spots, light & happy in others. 3 tracks, all roughly 17 min.

quoted 1 line Laswell/Various "Valis 1"

>Laswell/Various "Valis 1"

Excellent 'experimental' hip-hop/DJ comp. Features Asphodel artists We (some of their earliest output), turntable guru DXT, Laswell's own Automaton project, The Jungle Brothers (atypical for them), DJ Spooky (odd tracks out on this one), Wordsound artist Spectre, and Corporal Blossom (NY DJ who "disappeared" after recording a few excellent studio tracks, would be at home on Wordsound).

quoted 2 lines Laswell/Various "Divination: Ambient Dub 1"

>Laswell/Various "Divination: Ambient Dub 1" >Laswell/Various "Divination: Ambient Dub 2"

Basically what the name implies. 2 CDs of mostly beats 'n' (bubbly & repetitive TM Laswellian) basslines that jump to life amidst sometimes warm & happy, sometimes chilling & subterranean ambient landscapes. Organic sounds (water again, and others ...), an odd crooning (in a good way) female vocal track, keyboard blips, bleeps, pulses & tones, various familiar and not so familiar vocal samples. Vol 1. features the talents of Jeff Bova, Liu Sola (vox), Nicky Skopelitis, Buckethead (chiming guitar noodlings), and Robert Musso. Vol 2., which is darker overall and has less beaty moments than 1 features Mick Harris, Jah Wobble & Jeff Bova.

quoted 1 line Laswell/Harris "Somnific Flux"

>Laswell/Harris "Somnific Flux"

2 long, darkambient, foundation rattling, subwoofer-friendly excursions. Ref: Lull, Koner, Lustmord. Each track roughly 20 some min.

quoted 2 lines Laswell/Cypher 7 "Security"

>Laswell/Cypher 7 "Security" >Laswell/Cypher 7 "Decoder"

Project of Alex Haas and Jeff Bova. "Decoder" is five tracks of pure floating minimal ambience, a la Tangerine Dream, with the occasional low end rumble or odd but subdued percussive backdrop. Track 4, "Conspiracy Of Silence" gets me every time. The follow-up, "Security" is more varied, but not as brilliant, IMO. It does still have its moments though. More involvement from Bill here with actual basslines on a few tracks. Jaron Lanier plays Bu Wa on one track. Backdrop here is the same minimalism as previously, but there are some heavier 'beaty' & percussive moments, actual keyboard lines, some 'location recordings' (think Blade Runner), and a lot more unusual and ludicrous (in a funny way) sampled vocal segments. That about does it ... -Patrick np: Piquet - "The Faulty Caress" nnp: Toop/Eastley - "Buried Dreams"

On Tue, 28 Oct 1997 18:36:55 -0500 "Zenon M. Feszczak" <feszczak@sas.upenn.edu> writes:

quoted 39 lines At 11:57 AM -0400 10/24/97, you wrote:

>At 11:57 AM -0400 10/24/97, you wrote: > > >>I just found a place with a bunch of deleted Laswell titles for >>$5.99-$6.99 and I'm wondering which of them are worth getting. >>Mini-reviews, tips or whatever on the following are appriciated: >> >>Laswell "Psychonavigation" >>Laswell/Thaemlitz "Web" >>Laswell/Various "Valis 1" >>Laswell/Various "Divination: Ambient Dub 1" >>Laswell/Various "Divination: Ambient Dub 2" >>Laswell/Harris "Somnific Flux" >>Laswell/Cypher 7 "Security" >>Laswell/Cypher 7 "Decoder" >> > > >All worthwhile, according to taste. >I liked all of these titles except Valis, which was too hip-hoppity. > >Psychonav, Web, Somnific are all dark broody moody ambient. >Security and Decoder, as well as Ambient Dub 1 and 2 (really?) are >more >dub-oriented atmosphere. > >All well worth going into debt. > >Also add - > >Sacred System 1 and 2 >Dub Terror Exhaust >Automaton... >Basslines > >(continue until check bounces) > >Oh, right, and Sakamoto's "Neo Geo", lest I forget! >

and dont forget: lost in translation apc tracks 1 and 2 equations of eternity bass terror into the outlands and: outland tom w np: kip hanrahan - a thousand nights a night