IDM Mailing Archive

1999-03-18 06:58Upaka@aol.comJeff Mills- From the 21st (Sony Japan) Well, I'm assuming that this is a new full length J

From:: <Upaka@aol.com>
To:: <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 01:58:37 EST
Subject:: (idm) review: Jeff Mills- From the 21st

Jeff Mills- From the 21st (Sony Japan) Well, I'm assuming that this is a new full length Jeff Mills album and not another compilation of tracks previously available on vinyl (correct me if I'm wrong). I've always liked Jeff Mills, if not being a particularly rabid fan of his, but he's outdone himself here, it's a really diverse and coherent album. There are some of those abstract, stripped down techno tracks he's known for, but there's also the vibey space jazz of 'Twilight 20', and the weird shifting machine collage of 'To Count'. On the more laid back tracks the beats are reduced to a gentle rhythmic pulse in the background. 'Dove@3:43' has the dreamiest melody running through it, probably the mellowest Mills track I've heard, while 'M87' is one of his coldest and most abstract (listening to it is actually somewhat disorienting). 'Zenith' is a lovely Detroit-style track, and '31J56-4' has these really neat sounds. There are also some nifty beatless interludes. In conclusion, this disc is really nice, and I like it a lot. Right now it's only available as a Japanese import for some reason, but a UK label might pick it up, or maybe it'll get released on Axis in the states, I have no idea. _DTC

1999-03-18 12:01Dave WalkerUpaka@aol.com wrote: > Jeff Mills- From the 21st (Sony Japan) > > Well, I'm assuming that

From:: Dave Walker <marmoset@mich.com>
To:: <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 07:01:29 -0500
Subject:: Re: (idm) review: Jeff Mills- From the 21st

Upaka@aol.com wrote:

quoted 4 lines Jeff Mills- From the 21st (Sony Japan)

> Jeff Mills- From the 21st (Sony Japan) > > Well, I'm assuming that this is a new full length Jeff Mills album and not > another compilation of tracks previously available on vinyl

Yes it's new material, though one of the tracks (name escapes me at the moment) is a lovely expansion of the little lush intro track from the "Humana" ep. As for now, it's only available as a pricey import from Sony Japan, though there are rumors of some sort of North American or European release. -d.w.

1999-03-18 22:40Mark KolmarOn Thu, 18 Mar 1999, Dave Walker wrote: > Upaka@aol.com wrote: > > Jeff Mills- From the 21

From:: Mark Kolmar <mkolmar@xnet.com>
To:: IDM List <idm@hyperreal.org>
Date:: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 16:40:06 -0600 (CST)
Subject:: Re: (idm) review: Jeff Mills- From the 21st
Reply to:: Re: (idm) review: Jeff Mills- From the 21st

On Thu, 18 Mar 1999, Dave Walker wrote:

quoted 7 lines Upaka@aol.com wrote:

> Upaka@aol.com wrote: > > Jeff Mills- From the 21st (Sony Japan) > > Well, I'm assuming that this is a new full length Jeff Mills album and not > > another compilation of tracks previously available on vinyl > Yes it's new material, though one of the tracks (name escapes > me at the moment) is a lovely expansion of the little lush > intro track from the "Humana" ep.

The price tag might be an unfortunate deterrent to buying this. I will say, though, this is arguably his best and most coherent full-length. Previous releases include Waveform Transmission Vols. 1 & 3, Axis and Purpose Maker comps from various EPs, as well as previous work with UR and Rob Hood. Basic Channel fans who would like to hear something more clinical and stipped-down would do well to seek this out, as would fans of minimal techno generally. The Axis comp collects some of the more DJ/dance- oriented side -- left field, but effective DJ tools that work equally well at home. The Purpose Maker comp might be considered "highly experimental" from a DJ/dance perspective. That disc and _From the 21st_ are closest to intelligent dance music, if not exactly IDM. Rhythms on _From the 21st_ are still pretty straight loops, but on the whole this is a significant, if incremental step in a different direction. --Mark __ Burning Rome : SENSELESS CD on Mindfield Records MindCD03 Cathartium 14 > Distributed by Dutch East India Trading, Com Four, and Carrot Top < < http://www.xnet.com/~mkolmar/BurningRome > < MP3 & RealAudio tracks >

(idm) review: Jeff Mills- From the 21st