More...
. Mitchell Akiyama: hope that lines don't cross cd (Substractif)
With 'hope that lines don't cross' Montreal producer & Intr_version
label-head Mitchell Akiyama delivers his first 'official' release and
the first release on the new Alien8 sublabel called Substractif.
Before this album Mitchell Akiyama had released a stellar cdr
release, called Intr-version, which began to hint at his talent for
warm inviting melodies and intricately subtle percussion. On 'hope
that lines don't cross,' Mitchell has created ten tracks of even
warmer more-inviting atmospheres than ever before. Whether it's the
shimmering chords of the opening track 'palindrone' or the etheral
melodies and low-key dubby basline of 'resists change nicely' or
hypnotic chime-build track 'named after the chorus' or the dubby
laid-back church-bell laiden electronica of
'interpretation-deflection-master,' Akiyama's sounds are tickling my
eardrums in all the right places. Imagine a warmer, more melodic
Shuttle357 or Dettiinger and you'll have a taste of what to expect
from 'hope that lines don't cross.' Highly recommended. For more
information about Mitchell Akiyama visit his website at
http://www.intr-version.com/ or the soon-to-be Substractif website at
http://www.substractif.com
. Datathief: bandwidth 12" (Orange)
Manchester producer Brian Flanagan, who's had material released by
Skam/Mask, Beta Bodega, Pitchcadet, and Suction, with his first solo
release for Orange. This ep, entitled 'Bandwidth,' features five
tracks that range from omnious 'new-school' electro to a few
downtempo melodic ambient moments not unlike many of the early
Rehplex label releases. High points on this release ranged from the
dark storming Hexadecimator remix of 'Kaya' to the more tranquil
melodic 'Gelb' but all track on this ep are worthwhile. Overall,
'Bandwidth,' is solid accessible release for those who like there
electronic music mixed with a heavy dose of electro. Recommended.
. Portable: patterns & signals 12" (Context)
After an inpressive track on the 'Thredes & Vaynes vol 1 compilation,
Portable returns with his 4-track debut ep. The a-side of this ep
features the original track 'Portal' as well as a remix of it by
Sutekh. The original is a plodding midtempo deep techno track with
cutup vocal loops throughout. Sutekh's remix bumps up the tempo, add
a shuffle-beat of sorts, and strips away all the background textures
of the original making this more of a minimal stomper. 'Adhesive'
starts off the b-side with light cuban-flavored rhythms over dubbed
out synth lines giving this track almost a dubbed out Black Dog
Productions sound. The ep closes with gurling sounds that slowly
build into a downtempo dub track called 'Tavern.' Ovarall, 'Patterns
& Signals' is a nice debut from Portable showing that there still are
some fresh sounds in the techno-dub genre. For more information and
mp3 samples of this and all Context label releases, visit their
website at:
http://www.context.fm/
. Project Remark/Dean Decosta: heavy circles 10" (Plug Research)
This split ep is number four in the Plug Research split 10" series of
releases and it delves into the realms of dubby tech-house. The
a-side features an excellent bouncy dubby tech-house track from
Project Remark (aka LoSoul) called 'Tech Hikers.' The flip side of
this split ep features a superb punchy minimal-houser heavy on the
dub/reverb elements by Dean Decosta. I only have one Mosaic ep by
Dean Decosta but from the quality of this track I think I need to get
some more of his stuff. This split ep is one of the better editions
to the Plug Research split series. Recommended. For more information
visit the label website at:
http://www.plugresearch.com
. Tomas Jirku: immaterial cd (Subscractif)
'Immaterial' was originally a cdr-only release in conjunction with
the NoType mp3 label that featured ten tracks. On the official
Subscractif release Jirku reduced the number of tracks to just four
but lengthened each track to give them more time to develop and
evolve - and involve they do. The first track, Meson, starts with
several minutes of gurgling experimental atmosphere before the thick
downtempo dub bassline and flanged chords kick in. Fifteen minutes
later the track fades out into the sounds of running water. Next
comes Gluon, begins with shimmering chords and a pulsing synths then
slowly builds to incorporate chain-reaction-styled chords and a muted
4x4 percussion. About five minutes into the track the percussion
fades leaving just the dubby atmospheres for several minutes before
the percussion picks up again a few few minutes later the whole cycle
repeats itself ending after several builds and breakdowns. Baryon,
the third track, has several layers of pulsing textures, lush
atmospheres, minimal flanged chords, and on-again off-again muted 4x4
percussion with a bit of a shuffle to it. 'Immaterial' closes with
Pion which features 17+ minutes of delicate shimmering melodic
atmospheric ambience with dubby glitch touches. Pion then builds to
incorporate thick plodding muted percussion that brings it all the
way to the light ambient trailoff. Fans of Vladislav Delay, Pole,
Rhythm & Sound, and any other downtempo experimental dub sounds
should adore this one - I certainly do. Fantastic stuff especially
since it was first released in 1999 predating this popular sound! For
more information about Tomas Jirku visit his website at
http://www.yirku.com/ or the soon-to-be Substractif website at
http://www.substractif.com
. Soulo: s/t cd (Plug Research)
The Plug Research label is quickly becoming the "Fat Cat UK label
equivalent here in the US" in the fact that they arent sticking to
any one style in there releases, releasing a continuing series of
split eps, and they are releasing music at a dizzying rate. This new
mini-album is a unique half-hour journey into jazzy-ambient-post-rock
unlike anything the label has done before. Since my knowledge of
post-rock is so limited, I have no artists or releases to compare
this release to but if you like gentle guitars, swaying melodies,
live drums, and a touch of electronics then Soulo might be what
you're looking for. I personally have never been much of a fan of
post-rock but this release was very listenable from start to finish
and will be getting repeat listens as well. The Soulo releaes is an
interesting turn for the Plug Research label and well worth a listen.
For more information visit the label website at
http://www.plugresearch.com or the artist website at
http://www.soulo.net
Quesetions, comments, and custards welcome...
--
-->-Lance----
PO Box 450715
Westlake, OH 44145
United States
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org
For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org