Damn, it's amazing what you can find on the cheap if you're willing to
spend some time looking. I managed to pick up almost 20 pieces of vinyl
today for $76 (including the painful Californgia sales tax). In the
interests of talking about something else for a change, here's a list of
reviews of the many fine things I found in the used bins of Open Mind
(hey, look, Ma! It's a good used record store three blocks from my
house!) in San Francisco today:
Semtex - We Have Explosives (???)
[$4.95]
If this record is the recently-released Future Sound of London "stealth"
single, I owe those guys even more props than I've already given them.
This is a _great_ record. Even if it isn't FSOL, it's a great record
(anybody know for sure?). The basic structure is hip hop, but with
electric buzzing noises, tons of old-school hip hop samples, and about
five zillion layers of samples, some funky, some industrialoid, some just
weird (the MO is certainly FSOL's, and the "Brian Violence" runout
scratch is good evidence as well). The percussion sampling and
programming is nothing short of amazing. And oh yeah, I forgot the
harshly vocodered "we have explosives" samples and the chopped to hell
and gone synthesized "SSSSSSSSSSSEMTTTTEX" sample. For some reason, this
reminds me of the original Consolidated EP, but I personally think it's
better (which the industrial-negative amongst you will just have to take
on faith as being high praise coming from this huge fan of Consolidated's
old stuff). Jon D, remind me to bring this over for you sometime -- this
is right up your alley.
Leo Anibaldi - Muta, disc 2 (ACV)
[$2.95]
Based on disc 2, I'd very much like to find a complete copy of this
release. Anybody got any pointers? This is an unusually restrained and
dancefloor-focused record for Mr. Anibaldi, but still possesses the same
brooding ambience and near-industrial flavor that makes his releases both
great dancefloor material and interesting listening material. Remember,
if you have a copy of the full release and want to sell it, get in touch
with me.
Nasenbluten - The Really Nasty Violent Sex EP (Bloody Fist / Storm)
[$2.95]
So trenchantly stupid it's IDM all over again. I have a friend who was
planning on setting a stereo on fire while playing this record on it at
this year's Even Furthur (but then the wimps at Massive flaked out), and
I have to say that I personally cannot think of a more appropriate way
for a stereo to go. Distorted hip hop (complete with impressively
psychotic rapping), 200 BPM breaks, completely misogynistic, bizarre
samples -- basically, it's chaoticore / gabber at its most lethal. Drop
Bass _wish_ they were this hard. I love this almost as much as I love my
Belgium Frittes single. Strangely enough, I lay the blame for my love of
this kind of music at the feet of Richard James (think Joyrex J9 and
Tamphex, kids). I think my heart grew up in Milwaukee while the rest of
me was in Montana. WARNING: This record contains some really disturbingly
twisted lyrical content. Boyd Rice has nothing on these kids. I dig the
music without at all condoning its sentiments.
Robert Hood - Nighttime World, Volume 1 (Cheap)
[$7.95]
Smooth, relaxed, and funky, but with that manic Rob Hood edge. This is
the _real_ _deal_, kids -- only Detroit can produce music that is
simultaneously this soulful and this off-kilter. After the reviews I'd
read, (which emphasized its listener friendliness), I was surprised by
how much of this material is obviously designed for the dancefloor.
Shit. I should have bought this a long time ago.
Chemical Brothers - Leave Home (Junior Boys' Own)
[$3.95]
As much as I enjoy the Brothers' music, I've never really felt a need to
own much of it. I mean, shit, if you've heard one of their songs, you've
heard them all, really. I personally prefer them live these days (where
I, unlike the rest of the civilized world (or so it seems) find them to
be endlessly entertaining Big Stupid Fun, a la Independence Day), but
this record is a keeper. Not one, but TWO great Underworld remixes. It's
wonderful hearing Underworld apply their reprocessed mutant trance sound
to the Chem Bros' hard-edged breakbeats. Not only that, but the remixes
are typically (for Underworld) lengthy, and go through enough changes to
keep them interesting enough to merit the length. They're nice and hard,
too.
Underworld - Dark & Long 1 (Junior Boys' Own)
[$3.95]
Underworld - Dark & Long 2 (Junior Boys' Own)
[$4.95]
It's indicative of the direction that my life has taken recently that I
wasn't able to find both discs in this set until _after_ I shelled out
more than a few bucks for the import CD that collected all of the mixes
on them. But it doesn't matter - the "Dark Train" mix and "Spoon Deep"
pretty much define high-quality trance for me. I was very happy to find
these two records, and the rest of you really should give the _Dark &
Long_ "single" (all 76 minutes of it) a good listen -- I consider it
an essential release.
Frequency - Systematic Input (Lower East Side)
[$3.95]
Yeah, boy-eee! I was in a comic store in Berkeley yesterday, and while I
was there I heard not only Technotronic (whoo -- now THAT brought a few
nostalgic tears to my eyes) and a thorougly bizarre version of either
"Rock'n'roll, Part 2" or "Doctorin' the Tardis" that featured bagpipes,
but some thoroughly trashy, anonymous rave tune. I realized all over
again that I actually _like_ that crap, at least in small doses. The cool
thing is, this record (composed by vastly eclectic and interesting artist
Orlando Voorn) manages to evoke that rave sound (hey -- it's a Dutch
dance record from '92 -- cut him some slack!) while still being well-
crafted. Of course, now that I have one Voorn rave-a-riffic record, I
don't feel a need to own any more, but I think everyone should have at
least one or two records like this in their collection. More of us than
would care to admit entered techno through this route. And come on, you
have to admit those buzzy old Waldorf Microwave synth lines are still
capable of sending a chill or two up your spine, right?
Indika - Baltic / Bloc (NovaMute)
[$3.95]
Ignore the gratuitous dope reference in the group name, this is tasty,
distorted trancy techno on a dark tip. I'll leave this one be, because it
received plenty of coverage on IDM a year or so ago. Use the archives,
Luke! (But I bet none of them samplespot the "Quoth" samples in "Baltic",
now do they?) [Well, OK, I guess it wasn't in the archives. It's a good
record. Get a copy if long, dark, experimental techno tracks appeal to
you.]
Voodoo Child - Demons / Horses (NovaMute)
[$2.95]
Voodoo Child - Higher / Desperate (Trophy)
[$3.95]
I'll go to the mat with anyone who wants to argue that Moby is nothing
but a sellout sucka. Yeah, the records he releases under his own name
have been pretty weak (well, after the original singles and his first
album, which will always be, along with _The Prodigy Experience_ the
highwater mark of rave music), but his Voodoo Child material has remained
consistently interesting over the past few years. The new album was
_almost_ good enough for me to buy, even with its insane price. These two
singles kick -- "Demons" and "Horses" are tense, electric, acidic
builders ("Horses", in particular, builds and builds before it hits its
stride), with plenty of dark atmosphere to spare. "Higher" and
"Desperate" both live up to their names, and are clubby techno taken to
its most frenetic, fraying extreme. The music is undeniably designed for
the dancefloor (think "X-Trax"), but there's a certain manic, terrified
edge underpinning it that makes me think that Moby is not unconscious of
what he's become. The image of Marilyn Monroe sitting at her vanity
mirror, weeping, realizing that what makes her worth more than a bag lady
is slowly slipping through her fingers pops into my head. Now that Moby's
giving up on dance music, I hope he can find something to do with his
life that makes him happy.
CJ Bolland - Ravesignal II (R&S)
[$3.95]
_This_ was once considered hardcore? Goodness! Rarely venturing above 130
BPM, this is early CJ Bolland, which is a Good Thing. While not as
muscular and buzzy as "Horsepower", the four tracks on this EP are
certainly not average 1992-era dancefloor fodder. CJ has always been a
quality-consciosu craftsman, and this EP shows that Belgians have long
understood techno better than most of their European brethren ('cept for
maybe the Dutch, who stand in a class of their own). There's nothing here
that will leave you stunned, but the tracks are solid and work well on
the floor.
Perceptrons - Contempt (Switch)
[$3.95]
After passing on one Switch EP (which was -- say what? -- disposable acid
trance), I decided that this one was worth my hard-earned cash. Pressed
on tasty "chocolate" brown vinyl, this record is full of that "chocolaty"
Huren'n'Himadri goodness. Perky, quirky, and spare, this EP contains
three dancefloor cuts and one of Himadri's patented whacked-out evil hip
hop jams. Himadri knows how to balance the strange with the familiar, so
there are elements of acid trance here, but they're all pleasingly
tweaked with synth bits that make me laugh. Very IDM friendly and a very
worthwhile record.
Things to Come - Arrivers EP (Things To Come)
[$2.95]
A tip of the hat to Derek Oliver for pointing me towards this record,
which is great, moody techno in a PCP style (gee, just like Derek
said?). Slightly less harsh and chaotic than most PCP, which is too bad,
but there's still enough Goth spirit about too keep things focused on the
job at hand, which is getting the kids to dance while spooking them a
little bit. A quality record.
Saint Etienne - Who Do You Think You Are (Warner Bros)
[$4.95]
I'm not above engaging in a little trainspotting on occasion, and anybody
who's been around IDM for awhile knows why I bought a doublepack of what
I normally consider loathsome, disposable Britich chart pop. Yes, that's
right, there are APHEX TWIN remixes here! And they're damn fine ones,
too. This means that only two years after hearing TeeP's seminal (yes, it
is -- no arguing!) "Drumbeat Gumbo" tape I _finally_ have all the tracks
from it I want. "Your Head My Voice" is just as tasty as I remember it
being, but the "Quex RD" mix of "Who Do You Think You Are" is even
better, I think. And I guess if I had to choose between being whacked
with a hammer and listening to the other remixes in the pack, I'd choose
the remixes.
Serendipity - It's Just A Feeling (Wonka)
[$3.95]
Jambo! - L'Echo L'Echo (Wonka)
[$3.95]
These singles come to me via the record collection of San Francisco's own
legendary DJ Garth. If he voluntarily sold Wonka Beat records, it just
goes to support my thesis that he's gone from being a moderately
interesting big-name DJ to a Big Retard. These records date from the time
when progressive house ruled the dancefloor, "tribal" wasn't just
synonymous with a crappy house label, and Sven Van Hees hadn't yet lost
it. Rife with chunky tribal percussion samples and sweet melodies that
never get cloying, Wonka Beat's records are still fresh four years later
(as far as I'm concerned, Wonka ceased to exist as of about WONKA010,
which is when Sven left the label to go start Global Cuts). There's a
reason so many DJs own Wonka Beat slip mats. The only reason I don't
already own all of the original Wonka Beats is that they're damn near
impossible to find. Anybody that has any old Wonka records they want to
sell, get in touch. These records manage to make me feel nostalgic
without feeling like a loser dork about it, which is a precious thing
indeed.
Things I almost bought, but didn't:
Thunderground - The Thunderground EP (Infonet)
C'mon guys, if you're going to bite on one of the most magnificent
Detroit tracks ever made (69's "Rushed," which they shamelessly rip off
in "Illegal Rush"), at least do something original with the result. They
manage to take a spine-tingling synth sample and embed it in a mind-
numbingly boring song with Wavestation hits and plodding percussion. The
rest of the EP isn't much better. I expect more from the Bandulu posse.
Shyman & DJ Ljk (Infonet)
Same goes for this release. This record contained boring progressive
house instead of boring trance, but it still did very little for me. I
have tracks by both of these Bandulu configurations that rock (on the
_Usability Now_ and _Sound Site_ comps), so why couldn't they make better
EPs here?
Spanner Sky EP (Generations)
Session 2 EP (Generations)
I mention these two EPs on R&S offshoot Generations because they're
almost good enough for me, and will undoubtedly strike fans of minimal
hard house as being more than worthwhile purchases. These reminded me of
a less spacy version of the recent Speed Jack album with a more
four-on-the-floor focus. There were interesting things going on here, but
not enough to get me to pick these records up.
So there you go. 17 releases (and one Cheap release) that rock, bought
for well under 100 dollars. Granted, I did have to spend four hours
wading through loads of disposable crap (it would be REALLY KEEN if the
folks at Open Mind would alphabetize their used techno records), but I
haven't been this happy coming home from the record store since, uhhh,
yesterday. Which reminds me: Go buy the _Tech Steppin_ compilation now if
you like hard jungle or darkside. Emotif are the shit right now, as far
as I'm concerned. They manage to do amazing things with old Phil Spector
beats. And anybody that is interested in ambient music with guitars
should pick up a copy of Roy Montgomery's _Temple IV_ (or everything else
on Kranky, as far as that's concerned).
with love to each and every one of you,
ozy the music fanatic
PS -- Everybody should also run right out and buy Mike Allred's Madman
comics (all that you can find) and anything by Masamune Shirow. Madman
Frank Einstein is the comics world's most lovable human being (well,
besides his girlfriend Joe, maybe (or drunken psychopath milkman Reid
Fleming, but that's another story)), and Masamune Shirow manages to make
completely preposterous technology seem real without trivializing the
ethical ramifications that come with it (plus make all sorts of tricky,
hidden references to psycho mathemagician Douglas Hofstadter). Or if
comics aren't your thing, read Kim Stanley Robinson's _Three Californias_
or _The Memory of Whiteness_, which are intensely literate and human
science fiction (the latter having to do very directly with the music of
the future). Or if comics _or_ science fiction aren't your thing, read
James Merrill's _Divine Comedies_. Amazing stanzas from the last of the
truly great American poets. Or read Nick Hornby's _High Fidelity_, which
argues that even obsessive record collectors are sometimes worthy of love
(there's hope for you all yet). Y'all could use some culture.
. . . the self-reflecting image of a narcotized mind . . .
ozymandias G desiderata ogd@organic.com Desperate, Deathless
(415)278-5674
http://www.organic.com/Staff/ogd/ ::AOAIOXXYSZ::