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freeke reviews #4
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this time
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Telepathic Wisdom Vol. 1 - Various (Telepathic/Intellinet)
'Royalties Overdue' the First Chapter - Various (Mo'Wax)
Radiance (BC08) - Basic Channel (Basic Channel)
Cycle 30 EP - Cycle 30 (Axis)
PHI*1700 (u/v) - Mu-Ziq (R&S)
VMax 997 EP - VMax (VMax)
Bombadin/Marathon EP - 808 State (ZTT/Tommy Boy)
Forces - Esser'ay (KMS)
FFWD>> - FFWD>> (Inter-modo)
Lifeforms Paths 1-7 - Future Sound of London (Virgin/Astralwerks)
Mars Audiac Quintet - Stereolab (Too Pure/Elektra)
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Telepathic Wisdom Vol. 1 - Various (Telepathic/Intellinet)
Fred Giannelli specializes in a brainy, bleepy
variety of acid trance with an emphasis on swirly layers of sound.
A full 70 minutes of this is a bit much to take in one sitting
(and it drives my rabbit crazy), but in small doses it's quite
refreshing.
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'Royalties Overdue' the First Chapter - Various (Mo'Wax)
First off, this wasn't quite what I'd expected -- previous
things I'd read about this label had led me to believe
that a lot of their material was in the twisted hip-hop derived
IDM in the vein of the Dust Brothers.
It's not -- more like jazzy, dubby stuff with a pronounced
hip-hop influence. That said, I like it. True, the
weaker cuts veer closer to fuzak than I can really
stand, but the stronger stuff (like the Palmskin Productions
cuts, for example) put me in the mind of the best of
Massive Attack/Soul II Soul/Neneh Cherry, where all the
genre-bending becomes transparent and you're left with
effortlessly funky, catchy tunes.
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Radiance (BC08) - Basic Channel (Basic Channel)
<Whoooooooommmmmmb> <Gank> <Bwommmmmmmmmm> <Gank> <Mowwwwwwwv>...
You either "get" this stuff or you don't -- I personally can't
get enough of it. I only wish they'd release a comp so that
folks who only buy CD's will understand what all of the rest of
us are babbling on about.
_Extreme_ chill material from the guys this time around.
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Cycle 30 EP - Cycle 30 (Axis)
Jeff Mills proves he's as adept with softer material as he is with the
hard stuff he's known for. "Man From Tomorrow" is a revelation -- a
beautiful complex melody underpinned with pretty sheets of shifting sound.
The other two tracks remind me a bit of the more melodic material from
_Atlantis_ As a bonus for DJ's, check out the 9 perfectly mastered locked
grooves on the B side.
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PHI*1700 (u/v) - Mu-Ziq (R&S)
I can't do the title track justice. Really -- gorgeous
make-you-wanna-kiss-your-mommy chimes glide and
flow over a punishing hip-hop-electro-distorto rhythm
track. The other three cuts don't do as much for me
but then any painting you hang next to Picasso's
"Guernica" is going to look a little less interesting,
right?
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VMax 997 EP - VMax (VMax)
Heath Brunner's Vmax project continues its tradition of
fine intelligent trance. The tracks this time are
mostly on the hard acid end of the scale. For those
of you who have been following my reviews of their earlier
EP's and are confused by the name of this EP, their
catalog numbers are counting *backwards* from 1000...
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Bombadin/Marathon EP - 808 State (ZTT/Tommy Boy)
With its uninspired Latin percussion and some truly annoying
chanted vocals, "Bombadin" is, frankly, pretty cheezy, more tired
tribal stuff from a bunch of guys who've inflicted more than
their fair share upon us.
The shoulda-been-the-A-side "Marathon" is a different story,
though. The country/techno crossover is in full-effect (a la
the Grid's "Swamp Thing") -- full-bore shitkickin' at 150 BPM.
Slightly goofy, but definitely the strongest 808 State single
since "Plan 9". There may be some life left in the old gal
after all...
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Forces - Esser'ay (KMS)
The latest Kevin Saunderson alias (Reese backwards, geddit?)
dishes up some pretty good hard house on the A side.
The real treats, though, are the remixes: the Chez & Trent
remix on the flip grooves even harder, and Carl Craig
runs the track through the cement mixer (that's a _good_ thing),
laying on some ultra-hard clattering beats. "Mind and body and
soul and body" indeed!
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FFWD>> - FFWD>> (Inter-modo)
First off, this *isn't* the groundbreaking genre bender I
think everyone was hoping for. This is essentially an
Orb record, in the tradition of the more environmental
tracks on "Pomme Fritz". That being said, it's a pretty
nice record, with subtle melodies that reward repeated
listening. The samples are heavily treated, and rhythm tracks
are few and far between.
The focus here is on pure sound, making this a closer
cousin to _SAW2_ than, say _UFOrb_. Fripp's guitar is
completely integrated with the other elements in the music;
it never has the "grafted on" feel that sometimes results
when electronic artists bring in soloists.
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Lifeforms Paths 1-7 - Future Sound of London (Virgin/Astralwerks)
When FSOL focus their prodigious abilities on something concise
(in this case a "mega-single" in the tradition of the Orb's
"Blue Room" or Vapourspace's "Magnetic Gravity Arc Suite"), I find
their far-flung brand of way-out easier to digest. The result
here is a satisfying 39-minute chunk of widescreen sonic experiments
stiched together by the always welcome vocals of Cocteau Twin Liz
Fraser. Track divisions are as arbitrary as ever, but "paths" 2
and 4 are especially pleasing.
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Mars Audiac Quintet - Stereolab (Too Pure/Elektra)
(Obligatory warning -- this is a rock [or should I say anti-rock?]
record.)
Stereolab make a *very* welcome return with their far-out French
political non-sequiturs and irresistable Moog and Farfisa sounds
set to fairground melodies (check out the single "Ping Pong".
This material *towers* over the uninspired mass of product that
masquerades under the term "alternative" on your local radio
stations. So of course they'll never play it.
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That's it. Send all hatemail/free records to:
_
freeke
c/o dave walker
p.o. box 271
lincoln park, mi 48146-0271
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dave walker, detroit art services _
marmoset@msen.com always lozenge a freeke