here are some recent new releases I've enjoyed listening to more than
once. I can sympthise with the recent thread regarding the death of good
music, etc. but there are always reasons to go on buying records.
1. japanese telecom - 12" : from what I've heard this is another name
attached to dopplereffekt. I've heard it called lo-fi - it is really
compressed but it's more the cheap synth sounds that give it that feel
rather than defects in the recording process. on the first couple of
listens, I prefer this record to the recent dopplereffekt compilation, in
no small part because it's free of vocals. the tracks seem to have a
little more direction than dopplereffekt's straight-ahead electro-tech.
I've never really been a fan of detroit stuff in the past, but there do
seem to be some interesting things happening there. file with another
recent acquisition, gerhard potuznik's 20th door on interdimensional
transmissions.
2. v/a - substancia 2 LP : this is a sub rosa label comp (from their new
"electronica division" quartermass) that I didn't buy the first time I has
the opportunity as I've been a little disappointed with the "sub rosa
vs.." records, but I had enjoyed freeform's 'green park' and the artist
list looked interesting: benge, multiphonic ensemble, richard thomas, atom
heart, freeform, tone rec/to rococo rot and others less familiar. the
diagnosis: glossy ambience. generally the quality stuff you'd expect from
the artists above, with a few tracks from relative unknowns in the same
general genre. cheap, too. B+
3. marcus schmickler - sator rotas CD : of his previous works, this is
most like his previous release on A-Musik under the name wabi sabi. where
wabi sabi was more sparse, sator rotas becomes dense pretty quickly, and
maintains a high level of insistency throughout it's 40 odd minutes.
beautiful and noisy.
4. v/a - mash the place up 2LP : twelve years ago I was listening to
nothing but hardcore punk (but just discovering brian eno) so I felt an
instant sense of recognition when the needle hit the groove. I wasn't
familiar with ambush records until this comp. came out, and when I saw a
dj scud record in hrvatski "the tastemaker's" year end list, or something,
I knew I had to get it. 13 tracks on 2 pieces of vinyl and for the most
part it does not disappoint. my hormone levels won't allow me to tolerate
this sort of thing for too long, so I usually don't make it all the way
through on a single listen, but there's a physical pleasure to be had from
dropping a track here or there and getting that snare/adrenalin rush. I
remember the first time I heard of atari teenage riot - the college
station where I work <
http://wxyc.org> had received a stack of DHR 7"s
from Grand Royal, including one by shizuo (who contributes one track to
mash the place up). I felt some of that same sense of recognition,
coupled with distrust of its source, packaging and general posture.
could ambush be the real thing?
5. Peace Orchestra - 2LP : kruder & dorfmeister both have always seemed to
straddle the line between cool smoothness and smooth cheeseness. exhibit
a: some of the tracks on their DJ Kicks (or K&D Sessions, whichever) are
terrible. I enjoyed the Tosca CD for the most part & have tried to track
down the 12"s but have been generally disappointed - the chocolate elvis
dubs in mediocre and I don't like the new suzuki 12" - a little too smoov
for me. that said, peter kruder reveals here that he's the one with the
better buzz. a nice package, a well=placed nina simone sample, a
deliberate atmosphere. vocals on some of the tracks are a little
off-putting, but generally tolerable. not that I have anything against
the human voice, I just feel an acute sense of uncomfortable embarrassment
for the singer when I hear it wielded in certain obvious ways.
ethan
http://lingual.org :: lingual is a chapel hill, NC based monthly series of
experimental electronic music & video :: sign up for listserv on site ::
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