IDM Mailing Archive

Todd wrote:

quoted 5 lines The Autechre guys played Keith LeBlanc's "Stranger Than Fiction"

>The Autechre guys played Keith LeBlanc's "Stranger Than Fiction" >soundtrack for me the other day. A lot of intelligence goin' on. LeBlanc >was way ahead. I gotta have it. Does anyone know how I can get a copy? >Apparently it was out in 1990 on Nettwerk. Obviously, you folks would be >the ones to tell me more. Any info is appreciated.

If you want the real ground breaking stuff find LeBlanc's Major Malfunction from 1986. This album must have directly (or indirectly) influenced much of the beat driven stuff which is discussed on idm today. For me, the whole On-U / Tackhead sound was a major part of my musical education. I was fortunate to have a local radio station (Radio Lancashire) with a program called 'On The Wire' produced by Steve Barker. I heard a lot of On-U stuff on here in the early 80's. When I moved to London in '85 I was able to see people like LeBlanc, Tackhead and Mark Stewart on a regular basis. The power and vision in the music was immense. The role of Adrian Sherwood in creating the sound should also be recognised - particularly his unique ability in the live mix. Just last month Mark Stewart played in London (LeBlanc was on drums) and part of the set was from the early days (Liberty City, Jerusalem) and it sounded as fresh today as it ever did. Jon Burrell

quoted 1 line Is Major Malfunction the track with the Chanllenger audio samples?

> Is Major Malfunction the track with the Chanllenger audio samples?

Yes, indeed. I'd like to stick my own nose in as an early On-U devotee. I remember being just dumbfounded by Tackhead's "Mind At The End Of The Tether" and Fats Comet's "Stormy Weather." Absolutely brilliant. Hard, complex, it'll really throw your neurons for a brutal but satisfying loop. Very crunchy, machine-driven yet strangely emotional, this stuff demands your full attention, even though you can't dance to all of it. _Stranger_Than_Fiction_ and _Tackhead_Tape_Time_ (better known as _Gary_Clail's_Tackhead_Sound_System_) used to be pretty easy to find in the US, as the former was available on Restless and the latter on Nettwerk, and I still find them in the bins occasionally. Must listening for anyone interested in the roots of IDM, as well as the two recent compilations on Keith LeBlanc's own Blanc label in the UK, _Power_Inc._Vol._1_ and _Vol._2_. Anyone up for a real challenge should point their headphones at Mark Stewart and the Maffia's _Learning_To_Cope_With_Cowardice_ on On-U Sound, the CD of which contains the absolutely *mind-blowing* full-length version of "The Wrong Name And The Wrong Number," as well as a frightening cover of "Jerusalem." Spreading the On-U gospel far and wide... -- Adam J Weitzman ----- Individual, Inc. ----- weitzman@individual.com "I love the music of the 20th century!" - Bruce Willis, "12 Monkeys"