Hi Pietro,
Perhaps it's just your promotional copy doesn't have the sticker on the back...
On my copy there's a see-through sticker with a website:
http://www.loosegroove.com/ponga_remix.html
and a tracklisting:
1> Ponga - Silencio
2> Spacetime Continuum - Naugahide (Remix)
3> Capsule 150 - Pimba (Remix)
4> Even Schiller - Pimba (Fromunda Mix)
5> Stereo Vacuum - Pick Up the Pieces of Saturn (Freakency Remix)
6> Amon Tobin - Pick Up the Pieces of Saturn (Mosh Mix)
7> Element 115 - Hidden Propolsion (sic) Unit (Mix)
8> Firing Bullits - Liberace in Space (Ponga Party Mix)
9> Fila Brazillia - Naugahide (Remix)
10> Master Cylinder - Naugahide (Remix)
11> Ponga - Come As You Went
Tracks 1 and 11 are original Ponga tracks, the rest are remixes off the original
self-titled album, LG0018-2.
The tracklisting's on the website too.
The website also reveals that:
Ponga is Wayne Horvitz, Bobby Previte, Dave Palmer and Skerik
which was a pretty amazing revelation to me. Wayne Horvitz was/is the keyboard
player in John Zorn's Naked City, along with many other avant-garde (Jewish)
groups from New York. Bobby Previte is a drummer who's also involved in the
avant-garde/impro scene in NY, and I presume so are the others. So an
interesting group to have a remix project.
Not knowing the original versions, I can't say what the remixes are like in
relation to that. However, there's some excellent tracks. It's all a good
listen... I've marked my standouts with *s.
Track 1, a Ponga track - lovely soundscape.
-
Track 2, the Spacetime Continuum remix - smooth jazzy trip-hop. Comparing it to
tracks 9 and 10, which remix the same track, is interesting in terms of choice
of samples.
-
Track 3, the Capsule 150 remix - more trip-hop (by which I mean instrumental
hip-hop along the Ninja Tune, Mo'Wax, Cup of Tea vein). Don't know the group,
the mix is ok but no great shakes. Nice sounds, good album track.
-
*Track 4, the Even Schiller remix - I don't know who Even Schiller is, but this
is very choppy drum'n'bass/breakbeat, dark textures and nice freaky saxophone
(some of the same samples as in track 3), with a deep dark bassline under it.
Excellent, dark yet funky.
-
Track 5, the Stereo Vacuum mix - starts off sounding a bit too big beat for me,
but actually a pretty good sortof jungly mix. Interesting for comparison with
the Amon Tobin mix, since they remix the same track.
-
*Track 6, the Amon Tobin remix - as superlative as ever; I love everything he
does. Great driving rhythm from the fucked-up distorted drum'n'bass breaks and
analogue-synth bassline, and squawks from the saxophone from the breakdown on.
Could easily be an Amon Tobin/Cujo track, with sounds sourced from Ponga,
although I suspect the drums are his usual Brazilian and other samples.
-
Track 7, the Element 115 remix - kindof somewhat distorted breakbeat, quite
abstract. I like it. Hard to describe, lots of rhythmic sounds, distorted
beatbox and drum samples and other little plips and plops...
-
Track 8, the Firing Bullits remix - rather dark breakbeat; amusing they called
it the Ponga Party Mix. Not bad but fairly missable IMHO.
-
Track 9, the Fila Brazillia remix - quite nice, the sortof mix you'd expect from
them. Not the smooth beautiful drum'n'bass of Fila's Lamb (Cotton Wool) remix,
rather jazzy trip-hop. The drumbeat doesn't ever quite get going, and it's a bit
dissatisfying, but I suspect it's sortof meant to sound like that. Interesting
song structure.
-
Track 10, the Master Cylinder remix - starts with the sax with lots of dubby
reverb on it, but it's not a dub mix. It has a rock drum beat, presumably
sampled from the original track, with sax samples over the top, and ends with a
time-stretching session... not all that inspired.
-
Track 11, another Ponga track - seems to have a fair amount of post-production
on it, so probably not improvised, although they could just be using live
effects and things. Rather weird soundscape, but with some drumbeats and more
structure. Interesting track...
All in all, a very good remix album, and for me totally worth it for tracks 4
and 6. Recommended; if you can find it, at least give it a listen.
Cheers,
Peter.
--
Peter Hollo raven@fourplay.com.au
http://www.fourplay.com.au/me.html
FourPlay - Eclectic Electric String Quartet
http://www.fourplay.com.au
Raven: experimental electronic
http://www.fourplay.com.au/sound.html
"Of course, dance music can be a music where you lie on your back and
your brain cells dance" -Michael Karoli of Can, quoted in Wire mag.
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