Here follows a slab of reviews of some recentish purchases of mine.
The tunes discussed are:
1. Centuras - eternal vows ep
2. Sabres - Theme
3. Sabres - Theme rmx by Underdog
4. Delta Lady - swamp fever
5. Jah Wobble - becoming more like god
6. Solar Quest - Acid Air Raid
7. Chocolate Factory - Wake up.
Some of them may have been mentioned when i was away. if so
skip over. #1,6,7 are probably vinyl only, dunno about the others.
All are on UK releases. Anyway, 1st up is...
1. CENTURAS - eternals vows. [Junior Boys Own Collect 005]
As it suggests, the Collect label is a ltd ed. label (500 - 1000
copies ?) of JBO, so I guess if you want this, have to get it soon.
The lead track is simple but good acid trancing that rolls along at a
not insubstantial 133.5, very much in German trance style, or similar to
secret knowledge (see 4,5).
the B-side commences with a slower and more mediocre dubby
trancer. 2nd track (curved air) is like a modern day rendering of Oxygene -
refreshing beatless floatiness (with a bit of bass) which makes the 12'
worthwhile.
2. Sabres Of Paradise - Theme [Sabres of paradise PT014]
Anyone familiar with sabres wont be far off the mark at guessing
what this is like.
A side: Typical wetherall tribby, dubby affair with snatches of
guitar, cutup synth noises, and Yello style brass bursts, all piled on
top of a 100bpm backing. Nice.
the b side starts off with 'the return of carter' , a minimal
piece revolving around an eerie reverberated melody which reminds me
in some way of spag. western music (morricone). 2nd track on b side,
'edge 6' continues where this left off, with slow, out-of-it chugging
metallic percussion and drifty synth lines.
Those who were left unimpressed by parts of the sabresonic lp
should take the time to listen to this.
3. Underdog vs. Sabres - Theme [Sabres of paradise PT014R, 10 inch]
Ha ha. This is the one which grabs me though. No mellow
lounging - around wendying in your armchair with this!
The remix starts off with tame generic house/trance bit which
halts after a min or so to the the grating sound of the needle being
uncerimoniously dragged off the record, followed by gunshots and the main
man declaring 'bullshit, hollow tip.... we no like that music', before
a thundering hip hop beat bursts out.. The mix carries on in this style
with forceful, but not too fuck-off, rapping over a sea of sub-bass
that would raise any builing to the ground when played at the intended
level. Storming classic. B-side is instr. version. Many points.
4. Delta Lady - swamp fever [hard hands]
A: Delta baptism mix
B1: Delta skelter dub
B2: Delta scream mix
The A side is a fast pulsating trancer (what we expect from
DL , = Secret Knowlegde , on sabres, and remixers of others, = Trance
demon Kris Needs + singer wonder), which boasts the usual Secret Knowlegde
euro - style percussion + wobbly tea tray bass line. HOwever, he now
incorporates a bit of wailing / chanting and heavy subb bass pulses in
order to create a darker sounding piece.
B1: similar to A, but drops the vocals in favour of extra
knob tweaking acid.
B2: relaxes the pace to produce a trippy dub aided by primal
scream.
5. Jah Wobble + invaders of the heart. - Becoming more like god [island]
A1: Becoming more like god, orig. mix
A2: Wine, Women + song
B: Becoming more like god, Secret Knowlegde 'to hell + back' mix
A1 is a poweful vocal tune supported by the usual rock solid
Wobble bass line, and some mellow guitar twiddling.
A2: , a more upbeat bass heavy thumper, this time led by hyper ragga
jabbering and a brass section (in addition to the wobble vocals).
B: If it wasnt enough to have the above excellent tunes on the
12", we have an excellnt mix by Kris Needs (Secret Knowlegde, and delta
lady above). It starts off with a meandering dub section , immersed in washes
of the original tune, before building speed to the 141 bpm turbo trance
groove that one would expect from KN. Even brings in a FAX style filtered
analogue sequence later. Top Quality. 9/10 cats prefer it.
6. Solar Quest - Acid Air Raid. [Choci's Chewns Red, CCR 04]
Now for the real meat. As, above, this is not exactly a peaceful
number; Acid Air Raid is the type of tune that i enjoy playing at
bastard vol. on a sunday morning, when followers of the old-hat religion
are sitting quietly in church: pure 303 hedonism. If Choci keeps this up
he could start his own church.
The 1st 2 mixes are essentially do-your-head-in rampant
laser-battle from hell acid stormers of the highest calibre , which
cruise along @ 150 bpm. On B side, we have the 'Georges all nighter' mix
which capitolises on the twinkly melody which accomparies the beserk
303-ing, with a few wobbly breakdowns. Lastly, we have the almost obligatory
floaty mix, which does well in trying to mend some of the carnage caused
by the other 3 mixes!
Oh, i ought to add: these tunes on Choci's label appear to be
ltd. edn, so better get 'em quick (especially as thery're not new
- sorry!). Also theyre both on Red Vinyl, which undeniably has
good novelty value.
7. Chocolate Factory - Wake up. [Choci's Chewns Red, CCR 3, i think]
MOre from Choci's madhouse, only this time its been pitched down
to a tempo that makes it possible to consider dancing to. A side is
a smooth blend of club friendly pumping beats, glacial washes , and
subtle acid wibbling. The 'Hungry House'mix on B side is the one for me.
A Brilliant mix of the aforementioned acid, + US style house percussion,
and a gripping melodic line. top stuff. Although the last mix , the 'sinister
tribal acid' mix, doesnt really live upto its name, its still good.
Right. Thats yer lot. Id have liked to include a little something
about a couple of tunes i have on Choci's Blue (machine abuse) label....
however, i think i may run into a bit of trouble convincing the peoples
majority that they are 'intelligent'. They are of course, very.
Id appreciate any feedback. If its +ve, you might get some more.
Chris Giles, u90cmg@ecs.ox.ac.uk
St. Anne's College, Oxford.