INTELLIGENT DANCE MUSIC TIMES - V1.6
Digifunk is on the way out, but I still like it. Outside my own head,
I'm banking on the next big wave in San Francisco being trippy
mid-tempo electronics. I know this fast acid stuff will never catch
on here. There's a really brilliant track out right now on UMM called
This Naughty (at least I think that's the name - if that isn't quite
right, it at least *rhymes* with it!) which totally sums up what I
think the next wave will be: electronic weirdness over a slightly
funky beat. But, as Casey Kasem says, "on with the countdown!"...
Compilation 1
FAX PS 08/01
160 7:40 Pascal FEOS - Never Mind
164 6:07 DJ Criss & Tobias Balle-Petersen - Elephant Overload
140 6:26 Coeur Atomique - Sundance (RZ-1 Mix)
140 7:47 DJ Criss & Pascal FEOS - Lost In Motion
144 6:56 Bela Cox & Massimo Vivona - Giovenes
130 7:25 redruM & Mark P. - Dune (of Love)
97 10:10 Dr Atmo & Ramin - Terasury
154 5:51 Pascal FEOS - Modul #1
146 6:35 DJ Criss & Pascal FEOS - Chamber Of Dreams
I don't know what the deal is with FAX - they seem intent on making
their CD catalog impossible to comprehend. Yes, there is another
"Compilation 1" out there, the main difference being that the artwork
is 4-colour, the catalog number is PK 08/01 instead of PS 08/01, and
all the songs are different! Anyway, to the music: The lead off track
is actually quite nice, which surprised the hell out of me since I
usually instantly reject anything over 130 BPM. Fortunately, I didn't
have to doubt too much of my reality, since the following track was
absolutely dire - pound pound pound, bang bang bang, a guy screaming
"elephant overload" and nothing much to recommend it. YUCK.
Fortunately, it was all uphill from there: "Sundance" is quite good -
it has a weird funky beat and some quite strange electronics. If only
it wasn't quite so fast... The next three tracks are also good -
pretty tunes, almost bordering on house in some cases, with a gentle,
if fast, beat.
Now we come to the weirdest - "Terasury" (that's how they spell it,
honestly) is a ten minute mostly ambient spaceout with a bizarre funky
rhythm towards the end. Really nice, really beautiful and completely
out of place on this compilation! Still, it's definitely worth
checking out.
This is one weird freaking compilation, but what the hell, it's got
its moments...
Rhythm Invention - Inventures In Wonderland
Warp CD 15
124 5:36 Tokyo
126 4:41 All Jacked Up
124 7:38 Inventures In Wonderland
128 5:06 Zero PSI
127 3:49 Chronoclasm
125 5:06 Methomania
125 4:40 Fresh Momentum
125 4:10 The Mad Hi Hatter
125 7:13 P/Nutz
125 7:06 Ad Infinitum (Full On Flange Mix)
125 4:14 Fresh Momentum (Space Dub)
125 5:03 Quattrocento
125 13:41 Exit
I was always crazy about Rhythm Invention's "Can't Take It" single.
It was pretty standard for its time, but it had these cool little
metallic bonks in the background, and of course the stuttering "I
can't take it" sample. Somehow the DJs would always manage to play it
when I was zonked out of my skull and I felt like I Just Couldn't Take
It Any More... So, here's their album, and by and large it lives up
to standard set by Can't Take It. The tracks all have slightly more
complex than usual drum tracks, and repetitive trancy elements.
Standouts are the lead off "Tokyo" which has some interesting electric
guitar in it, "Zero PSI" which is beautiful and reminiscent of Future
Sound Of London, and "Chronoclasm" which makes good use of touch tone
phones and scratched records. Other good tracks: "Fresh Momentum",
"P/Nutz" and "Exit." Note that "Exit" stops about 4 mins in, then
there's a few minutes of silence and a weird dub thing at the very end
of the disc.
My only complaint is that this isn't particularly fun to listen to as
an album - the tracks seem much more suited to be mixed in to dance
floor sets. But, this IS dance music, after all!
Funked Up House volume 1
MFF CD 1
123 8:10 Tom Tom - Iron Hamma
123 7:08 Chris And James/Memphis - Play That Rock N Roll Rhythm
122 7:24 La Camorra - Oki Dokey
128 5:50 The Cotton Club - It's Time
120 6:13 Funkatarium - Jump
120 8:33 Reefa - You Can't Stop The Groove
123 6:37 Grant Plant - Gotagetup
123 7:33 Smiling Faces - Wooden Head
130 5:57 Big Mistake - The Error
120 7:02 Future Visions - 30 Ft Below Your Head
Title says it all: Funked Up House. Solid 909 underpinned breakbeats,
laced with guitar hits, jammin' piano and other stuff that makes ya
wants ta shake yer booty. Standouts are "Iron Hamma" with its
relentless electric guitar and "Jump" which is simple and propulsive.
Reefa re-uses the same sample that Coco Steel & Lovebomb dug up last
year, don't know why. Overall, this is a nice little package of
digifunk. If you like that style, you'll like this comp.
Twitch CD 8
124 5:29 DOP - Non Stop
124 6:36 Harri - Skelph
124 5:49 Helicopter - On Ya Way
125 7:11 The Wildchild Experience - Jump To My Beat
125 5:15 Mother - All Funked Up
125 4:57 Daisy Glow - Sunday In The Park
127 6:23 Central Fire - Central Fire
127 6:19 Direckt - Two Fatt Guitars
129 7:29 Up Above The World - Unleashed In The East
130 6:46 Meat Beat Manifesto - Mindstream
132 5:53 Front 242 - Religion
133 6:02 PG1 - Jazz Energy
I know you're all probably screaming "conflict of interest" because I
live with the Twitch Uberfuhrer, Mike W, and even worse, worked on
some of the tracks on this CD, but that's too damn bad. This disc
rocks out and it rocks hard. You've got some screaming digifunk from
the likes of DOP, Helicopter, Mother, Central Fire, Direckt and PG1.
You've got some electronic weirdness from Daisy Glow (remix by Single
Cell Orchestra - it's about 99% an SCO track and 1% Daisy Glow), Meat
Beat Manifesto (actually more like Orbital, since the Orbital mix was
the main source for this version), and Front 242 (we took all the
guitars out and turned it back into an old school late 80's Front
track.) And let's not forget that stunning new remix of Exist Dance
Records' Up Above The World, done by none other than the gods of
squonk, The Ultraviolet Catastrophe. In all seriousness, it's easily
one of my favorite remixes.
Finally, some progressive house from Scotland's Harri and weird ass
industrial strength house from Wildchild Experience.
This disc is a MUST have, and I'd say that even if I didn't have
connections to the label...