JON D'S FAVORITE STUFF OF 1993
All lists presented in No Particular Order. Not actually a Top 10,
more a Top However Many I Could Think Of In A Few Hours.
BEST ALBUMS:
EAT STATIC - Abduction (planet dog)
Damn this is a fine album! Eschewing all typical 1993 genres
(detroit rip-off, acid trance, funk) it just does what it's
gotta do and man is it luscious. Fine sense of melody,
impeccable production and songs that actually GO PLACES.
Completely fresh music from 70's dinosaur-wanna-be's! Today's
kids with their 909's and 303's could learn a lot.
PSYCHICK WARRIORS OV GAIA - Ov Biospheres And Sacred Grooves (kk)
I'm not sure if this is technically a 1993 offering, but if it
isn't, that's too bad, because it deserves this level of
recognition. Again, they sound like nothing else out there.
Surrender to the god(dess) of rhythm. Shame about the name,
though.
AMORPHOUS ANDROGYNOUS - Tales Of Ephidrena (virgin)
Oh yes, now this is some major shit, chock full of heady
goodness. Future Sound Of London are *the* trendsetters in
music today as far as I'm concerned. Everyone else is
measured against them. And this is an album of "leftovers"!
SEEFEEL - Quique (too pure)
Not so much breaking barriers; more like softening them so
that they can bleed together. Dub, techno, indie-rock,
industrial... Seefeel tosses it all in the blender and comes
up with an effervescent smart drink for the ears.
SYSTEM 7 - 777 (big life)
Who woulda thunk it? After the total mixed bag of their debut
album, and the depressing "sneak preview" of the 7:7 Expansion
single, Hillage and Giraudy retreat to their 70's roots, and
deliver an album of pillowy trance so warm and inviting that
you just want to sink into it, never to emerge again.
FALCONER (CMV)
Proving that he was more than a mere Orb/Hypnotone sideman,
Andy Falconer stepped out and delivered an album of wonderful
and diverse music. And almost nobody heard it. Pity because
this album often one-ups the aforementioned bands.
SVEN VATH - Accident In Paradise (eye q)
Ignore the hype, the interviews, the stupid magazine photo
shoots and the reportedly childish videos. Forget everything
you know about Sven The Man, then go back and listen to the
*music*, again. In this reporter's opinion, it still stands up.
BEST SINGLES:
DIRECKT - Two Fatt Guitars (ufg)
Both sides wonderful in totally different ways:
unabashed disco stomp and heavy metal head banging. Could
anyone sit still when this one was on?
FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON - Cascade (virgin)
A completely mental headtrip. Not right for the dance floor,
but in the proper setting it can take you to another planet.
BBR STREETGANG - Loyal To You (hubba hubba)
Rough'n'tough with attitude to spare. Hard as nails and
damned funky. Their new one is no slouch either.
CURVE - BlackerThreeTrackerTwo (anxious)
Three remixes from three wildly diverse sources: Nine Inch
Nails, Future Sound Of London and The Drum Club. All of them
solid gold.
WILDCHILD EXPERIENCE - Wild Trax Vol 2 (loaded)
Yes, that one with the Lisa Lisa samples. Leave it to the
English to take an essentially "safe" form like house and turn
it into a recipe for a bad trip. I love it!!
FREAKY CHAKRA - Halucifuge (exist dance)
Due to Exist Dance's laissez-faire promotion policy, this one
was heard by maybe five DJs. Too bad, cos it was some of the
most innovative music to come down the pike in '93. Daum
Bentley redefined trance *and* funk all on the same 12".
LEFTFIELD/LYDON - Open Up (hard hands)
The Dust Brothers remix is the one. I hope this is the kind
of collaboration we can expect more of in '94.
MOTHER - All Funked Up (bosting)
Huge and possibly the most fun you could have all year with
your clothes still on.
TOM TOM - Iron Hamma (beeswax)
One of those records that makes an impression. You can
probably still remember exactly where and when you first heard
it.
HARDFLOOR - Acperience 1 (harthouse)
Hard to see it now what with the scores of imitators, but when
this baby dropped it was like manna from heaven. The climax
to end all climaxes.
BEST COMPILATIONS:
TRANSMITTING FROM HEAVEN (exist dance)
Exist Dance just keep plugging away releasing one brilliant
single after another, never getting the respect or recognition
from the masses, despite having visitors like Sven Vath
popping in unannounced just to meet the guys that make it all
happen. Hopefully this compilation will rectify that.
FEED YOUR HEAD (planet dog)
An album that proves that ambient/chill out music doesn't have
to be plain old dance tracks slowed down to 100 BPM.
AMBIENT DUB VOLUMES 2 & 3 (beyond)
I'm copping out here because both of these entries in the
Ambient Dub series had some outstanding tracks. Thumbs up,
Michael Barnett.
EARTHBEAT (jumpin and pumpin)
Kind of a cheat since very little of the material on this disc
actually came out in 93, but I needed to find a way to sneak
FSoL into every category... They clean out their closet and
everybody wins.
There you go. I'm all excited about 1994 now.
Jon Drukman jdrukman%dlsun87@oracle.com
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This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence.