Three's a charm but there's still more...
. Nacht Plank + Hem: s/t cdr (Small Medium)
The first collaborative cd between Lee Norris (Nacht Plank &
Metamatics), and Jamal Koory (Hem & Geiom) produces 12 tracks of
superbly etheral melodic glitchtronica not unlike the Tone Language
cd on Staalplaat, the Tom Steinle tracks on the Tom label, or
Diskont94-era Oval. Both Nacht Plank and Hem had solo cds out on the
Microwave label previous to this collaboration, but neither solo
effort had the combined warmth and beauty that this one does. Highly
recommended but hurry because this release is supposedly limited to
250 copies. Small Medium indeed!
. Jeff Mills: time machine cd (Axis/Tomorrow)
Detroit techno legend Jeff Mills journeys back ten years with 'Time
Machine' to a time when detroit techno was a much warmer melodic
enveloping sound. Actually, the new Jeff Mills album is called Time
Machine because it was inspired by the H.G. Wells novel of the same
name. Regardless, Jeff Mills has produced a fabulous album of lush
melodic techno & ambience that harkens back to the early melodic
years of detroit techno ala Derrick May, Psyche/BFC/Carl Craig, John
Beltran, etc. This album features the sound that hooked me into
detroit techno back in the early 90s - a sound that has been woefully
absent (with a few small exceptions like sean deason & d.e.c.) in
detroit for some time now. Thanks to Jeff for reviving that sound at
least for one album. Has Jeff Mills done any other releases like this
recently? I know he has put out 3 or 4 cds in the past few years but
I've not checked any of those out yet. Time Machines is highly
recommended for fans of warm textured detroit techno & ambience.
. Isan: lucky cat cd (Morr Music)
Hot on the heels of the 'Salle D'Isan' cdep, which is also on Morr
Music, comps Isan's third album entitled 'Lucky Cat.' This album
features warm analog synths, tinkly melodies, and delicate percussive
movements that are mildly familiar elements, but as a whole the album
is a much more downtempo, sedate, and even somber affair than
previous releases. Halfway though 'Lucky Cat' you would swear that
the album is being played at the wrong speed - 33 instead of 45 - but
I have a cd so I know that's not the case. I'm curious to hear what a
vinyl copy at 45rpm will sound like. Anyway, despite the drop in
tempo, 'Lucky Cat' is still a rewarding & relaxing listening
experience (though not as much as the 'Salle D'Isan' ep) that should
further bolster the already strong Morr Music catalog.
. Andrew Weatherall's Hypercity mix cd (Force Tracks)
Lone Swordsman, Andrew Weatherall, shows off his impressive mixing
skills here as he delivers this continuously mixed 15-track journey
though the Force Tracks label tech-house catalog. From start to stop
the Hypercity mix moves and grooves along with D. Diggler's
'Silverfinger' being my high point. If I had to make one criticism of
the mix it would be that Weatherall uses a lot of the b-sides and
lesser-known tracks in the Force Track catalog but he still weaves
them into the mix perfectly. A solid dj mix with decent track
selection and, overall, a nice sampler of the Force Tracks sound.
. Akira Rabelais: eisoptrophobia cd (Ritornell)
Akira Rabelais's second album for Ritornell features 20 remakes of
minimal piano pieces - originally composed by avant-garde pianists
Satie, BartÛk, and Carte - put though a wide array of contemporary
software and hardware sound manipulations. I'm not familiar with the
works of the original composers to know what Rabelais has added on
his own and what is retained from the originals but the sound
manipulations are subtle enough that they don't interrupt the flow of
the tracks but significant enough of a contribution to be noticed.
'Eisoptrophobia' is a nice collection of background/atmospheric
music. Next month there will be a DVD version of 'Eisoptrophobia'
which, in addition to video content, will feature additional tracks
as well as remixes from Derrin Verhagen, Frank Bretschneider, Neina,
and Ekkehard Ehlers. For more information & soundbites visit the
Akira Rabelais site at
http://akirarabelais.com/eisoptrophobia.html
. Panacea & Cativo: hardest tour on planet earth cd (Position Chrome)
I haven't listen to any drum & bass for several years so i'm very
unfamiliar with the current sounds of the genre but my interest in
Panacea has been peaked with his recent experimental releases (on
mille plateaux as m2 and on antzen as squaremeter) so i decided to
check out his newest release on Position Chrome. What i discovered
was an album of hard-as-nails percussion backed by dark sinister
synths and brutal basslines. When i consulted a friend about panacea,
he said that the sound of this release is 'his style' and he said
it's (appropriately called) evil hardstep. From a person who's taste
in jungle/d&b used to entail LTJ Bukem, Photek, and J Majik, this d&b
style is quite a sensory overload but my friend (who is a big fan of
the evil hardstep sound) assures me that this new Panacea & Cativo
album is as good as it gets. This cd also comes with an MPEG video of
footage from the recent 'Hardest Tour on Earth.
Music, music, and more music...
--
-->-Lance----
PO Box 450715
Westlake, OH 44145
United States
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