Various ramblings about disconnected subjects ...
A local DJ claimed that "Tango n' Vectif" came out on CD as of last week.
Anyone (train)spotted it yet?
The tape (thanks Andy!) has hardly left my car cassette deck ... looking
forward to no more Rice Krispies ...
The DJ also said that a "highly placed source" told him that mu-Ziq has
nearly 20 albums' worth of releasable material in the vaults ...
Methinks there's a future for Benny as a bootlegger :-)
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Ever since seeing Kevin Haskins at a couple of raves around here, I've been
wondering what the "new, ambient groovemeisters" Love & Rockets material
would be like. I just purchased the "Body And Soul" CDS. It contains a 14
minute "album version" along with 2 different Kris Needs (Secret Knowledge)
mixes, a Higher Intelligence Agency mix, as well as a non-LP track and a
"Part 2" of the album version.
The "album version" starts off real nice, with languishing Seefeel-meets-a-
fuzzbox guitar and drumming that definitely pegs Kevin as being the Techno
nutter of the bunch. Hmmn, "Ambient groovemeisters", maybe the shoe fits.
Unfortunately, the track is somewhat ruined by a normal Daniel Ash vocal
(although, admittedly, he mostly only intones "Body and Soul" throughout).
I'm really anti-vocals at this point, sorry :-)
The 2 Kris Needs mixes are Trance stormers ... maybe not as ambitious or
sweeping as his recent tour-de-force Jah Wobble remix, but totally great
nonetheless. Yah, me likey, me likey! HIA brings the pace down a bit and
puts the emphasis on percussion with another groovey mix. The non-album track
is mostly a forgettable throwaway, and the "Part 2" just sounds like more of
the same vis a vis the "album version".
So, what do we make of this? 3 slammin' remixes by outsiders, firmly planted
in the Techno spectrum. The album track is OK, we have one throwaway and one
not-necessary track. 4 out of 6 ain't bad. Though I have to wonder in one
sense, given recent developments like the Killing Joke singles vs. the album -
I have this nagging feeling that although the folks involved (or at least one
of them in each case) really want to submerge themselves whole-heartedly into
Techno territory, the albums ("Pandaemonium" and the "Album Version" on this
single) leave me wondering if they're hedging their bets; i.e., "Well lads,
this Techno stuff could be commercial suicide, so we'll have to leave it for
the single B-sides". And keep the albums mostly back in the Old Familiar
territory so as not to alienate the old audience.
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I have to register my complete satisfaction with FSOL's "Lifeforms (Paths 1-7)"
and a big thanks to Astralwerks for putting it out Stateside. Some of the
versions are even better (IMO) than some of the tracks from the album. Great
stuff. The interesting thing to me is the paradigm shift I've taken over the
past 10 years; once upon a time I was a huge Cocteau Twins fan, and now I
actually find that Liz Fraser's vocals annoy the hell out of me here (-:
(Another indication: Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance - and "Papua New Guinea"
fame (-: - is doing a solo performance here in L.A. soon, maybe even the first
ever for her, and my better half said "Absolutely not, we're not going, I
like Techno, I've had enough of Gothic sounding sad music, bollocks to that!")
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Last but not least, quick impressions of AFX AB IV CD: (Gee, that looks Roman)
1. The pounding beat/scream track. The screamer either sounds like a
constipated elephant or the man he's chasing, I dunno which. The track as
a whole reminds me of Crash Worship, who're neo-Pagan industrialists from
San Diego who recently scared the living shit out of poor Narnia attendees
by "fucking up [their] vibe, maaaaaaan". As an AFX track, however, mostly
throwaway.
2. A cheesy track, completely throwaway. I have NO idea what Richard was
thinking on this one. Cheesy old simplistic drum machine, annoying-as-all
Hell cheesy caliope-sounding keyboards (gawd, I hate caliope keyboards).
Maybe they mispressed this and it's an Erasure instrumental or something?
I have a feeling someone said "Richard, you couldn't write a cheesy track
if you tried!" and he took it as a dare.
3. Now this is more like it. THWACK THWACK THWACK. The patented Aphex Kick.
The mental distorted SHPLOINK noises behind it. The occasional Acid blip
keyboard notes. Classic Aphex, yet with a different twist. I hope he
plays this one in Los Angeles in 2 weeks!!! (Yes, you read this right)
4. And Now For Something Completely Different ... a quiet one, sounds almost
like an outtake from SAW I (I, not II). The occasional piano, dripping
bleep, brushed drums, gentle keyboards ... you know the score.
5. The 5th track on the CD seems to be the same as "Words: Processed" on the
"Words and Music" promo CD, as far as I can tell. It's about 0:27 long.
If you bought AB IV on vinyl, you're not missing anything here ...
- Greg
P.S. Oh yeah, the Global Communication is f*cking brilliant! Benny, please
pat your brother on the head for this one for me ...