Dunderhead, "Bucksheesh" ep (Worm Interface)
A1. "Black Beading"
Oh my God. Is this really supposed to be played at 33, like the label
says? Something about the quality of the drums makes me doubt it, but it's
so compelling at this speed that I hesitate to flip the switch to 45 and
come out from under the spell. A deep, shuffling hip-hop beat with an
off-kilter cymbal stutter rubbing up against it, and somewhere far, far in
the background, a minimal, circular set of piano chords, dark and
subaqueous, almost subconscious in their effect. This is a track to make
you buy headphones. Then, out of nowhere, a detuned electro groan whines
its way in and out again, half robotic, half spectral. Intertwining loops,
moebic repetitions. Complex, arresting, fucking gorgeous. A really
judicious use of pockets of silence deserves praise here. (PS. On 45, it
retains a hip-hop feel, with perhaps more of an Amon Tobin/Wagon Christ
sense, but it does lose the total sense of menace and despair that prevails
at 33.)
A2. "Dodit-Dub (An Ethereal-ites Remix)"
I guess the 33 was right, because here comes straight dub, proper tempo.
Dark and echo laden, distinguished only by the Nusrat-esque voice in the
background (fitting, perhaps--RIP). You know that MTV commercial with the
guy on the rhodes and the guy on the trumpet, playing sloppy reggae, and
one looks up and says, "This IS easy"? This is a bit like that--sounds a
lot better, but it does make me wonder about techno (etc.) musicians who
make the obligatory nod to dub without really adapting the form.
B1. "Proto-pickle"
More of that shuffling percussion, a solid hip-hop line tinged with
drum'n'bass rolls, overlaid with lush, detuned chords. Recurring loops
build without seeming formulaic. A faint harp line drowns in shortwave
static. What's that--handclaps? No sheepishness there, just pure funk.
B2. "A floorless soul"
A more uptempo walking bassline and oodles of hi-hat lead off another funk
track. Cheesy hammond, rhodes chords, jazzy, you get the picture. Now and
again a squelchy whine--like something you'd hear out of Panasonic's noise
generators--speaks up, not exactly contradicting the mood, but certainly
complicating matters a bit. Not a great track, not total throwaway.
Overall, some really good ideas--both in structure and texture--make this
well worth picking up; based on the strengths of the two best tracks (and
the first really is stunning), Dunderhead may be moving toward something
significant.
By the way, does anyone have a Worm Interface discog? Dunderhead's also
done a very interesting, very noisy, remix on the second Bowery Electric
ep, which I'm too tired to review at the moment.
(Related question: how many 12"s are slated so far in the Bowery Electric
remixes? I've seen 2 so far: the Witchman (et al.) and the Dunderhead,
Twisted Science et al. I saw someting about 2cd of the remixes... What's
the word? I've loved both, & don't want to miss any...
relentlessly,
phil