Here's my reviews of the Recycle or Die stuff taken from the Ambient FAQ.
Recycle or Die / Eye Q
Strahlenbergerstrasse 125 A
6050 Offenbach
M Germany
tel: + 49 69 88 56 33
fax: + 49 69 800 33 36
Recycle or Die was set up in 1992 as a sister label to Eye Q Productions
(to which Harthouse is also a sister label) to publish contemporary electronic
mind music. According to the label ROD is a further development of the
traditional Berlin School (I wonder what that is) and classic ambient music
(i.e. Eno et al). They want to put out records of musical substance rather than
just "endless synthie drivel, combined with silly nature samples." And with
their five releases to date they have succeeded.
Complete Recycle or Die discography (as of 24.9.1993) and some notes:
Dominic Woosey: Stray Light (ROD 001)
Stray Dawn, First Light 16.00
Incubation 16.00
The Oceans of Infinity 16.04
Straylightsong 15.50
From the sleeve notes: "This Recording is designed to be listened to using
From: ???
Date: ???
Subject: ???
Status:
Eye Q's magic producer who worked with Sven Vath on his "Accident in Paradise"
among other things delivers a concept album of enlightment. "Looking Beyond"
is the start of a self-reflection (scary things bounce at you from the
speakers). "Follow Me" is like a what happens afterwards (melancholy and
soothing sounds). "The Journey" is an attempt to go back and reconstruct
the past (pieces of tribal, jazz, church music fly by until notes from
the synth take over). "Prelude" is again melancholic, a look on time (beautiful
piano composition and clock ticking). "Coming Back" is the return journey
after the transformation - a realisation of the state of things (a majestically
building strong piece that echoes bits from the starting track). "Inner Peace"
is what comes after satori: calmness and understanding (a refreshing guitar
riff over joyful synth sounds). But you can forget all about that Zen bullshit,
because this stands well on it's on too. Labels finest point to date IMHO.
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O. Lieb: Constellation (ROD 003)
Dimension X 16.36
Secret Visitors 18.36
Spice Diving 15.02
Subsonic Interference 10.52
Oliver Lieb is of the Spicelab (Harthouse's experimental house & trance
artist) fame and this is his first ambient project. The album is a mostly
analogue noises and simple melodies, although some tracks (Secret
Visitors, Subsonic Interferences) are almost like soundscapes. More dance
influenced than Dominic W, even though this is virtually beatless too. Good.
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Baked Beans: Baked Beans (ROD 004)
Bake Daga 15.13
Desert Bean 14.36
Heintz 1 10.49
Has Bean 22.37
From the trio of Helmut Zerlett (Unknown Cases), Nicole Tollmann & Gottfried
From: ???
Date: ???
Subject: ???
Status:
Steffen Britzke aka Stevie Be Zet dedicates his album to "Archaic Modulation"
More in the same boat with Dominic W than with Baked Beans or Ralf H, stevie
boy builds up tracks to a climax and then brings them down again (like "Man in
the Machine") and plays around with the effect box a lot. The advantage of
shorter tracks is here the variety of in the music itself, although the core
of the record is (as the name implies) analogue synth stuff. Another hit album
for sleepless nights. Besides this solo project Stevie has produced the Vernon
album (on Harthouse).
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There is also a compilation out there called "Silk" which is essentially
a collection from the first five releases. Essential.
Cheers,
samu
--
"Never update your OS, change your IP or add hardware unless you have to."
- me