It's all about opinions, I guess, but I can't go along with some of this.
Hope you don't think I'm having a go but....
quoted 9 lines Subtropic - Homebrew CD (Reflective)> Subtropic - Homebrew CD (Reflective)
> This is my pick of the recent rash of "intelligent jungle"
> hybrids. Solid, varied rhythm programming and a fat, fat bass end
> brighten up yet another feather in Reflective's cap. The emphasis here
> is
> on the beats; samples and synth accents really help flesh out the sound
> rather than drowning it in saccharine swirls or wailing house diva like,
> say, T-Power or 4-Hero. This ought to knock some of the naysayers off
> their fence.
It eludes me how this could be considered a 'best of class' release. It's
not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, but really lacks the
imagination, inventiveness and fire in the belly of much of the stuff I'm
hearing. We've had this debate on the list before and produced long lists
of better things to spend your pennies on so I'll leave it at that.
quoted 8 lines T-Power - The Self-Evident Truth of an Intuitive Mind CD (SOUR)> T-Power - The Self-Evident Truth of an Intuitive Mind CD (SOUR)
> It's difficult to guess what inspired all the hype surrounding
> this album. It's certainly a very competent record, but it's also so
> sugary that listening past the first three tracks is an act of real
> self-abuse. Beats take a back seat to all kinds of cliched synthesizer
> noodling and fruity samples. Much of this would be better categorized
> as dub rather than jungle. Proceed at your own risk if you must but
> you're much better off with Subtropic or Plug.
What hype ? This is ambient jungle (for want of a tag) at its best.
Quality production makes the beats and 'noodles' work so well. I don't
really see the direct comparison with (the indeed excellent) Plug which
is seriously in yer face and experimental.
quoted 8 lines Journeys by DJ Coldcut CD (JDJ? What label is this?)> Journeys by DJ Coldcut CD (JDJ? What label is this?)
> There are moments of brilliance on this CD, but too often Black
> and More spoil the groove in an effort to impress with their
> eclecticism. In ranging from acid to jungle to ambient to hip-hop and
> on Coldcut dilute their focus and fumble their best mixes. Ironically,
> the strongest segment of the disk is mixed from Coldcut's own material.
> Mixing the Jedi Knights' "Noddy Holder" into Plastikman is a stroke of
> genius, I'll admit. This *will* probably send you scurrying out to
find > half of the 34 records dropped into the mix, although almost
certainly > not Jello Biafra.
No one comes close to mixing like these boys. This is probably the finest
mix CD ever !!
quoted 3 lines Various - Flexistentialism 2CD (Ninja Tune)> Various - Flexistentialism 2CD (Ninja Tune)
> It's hard to imagine what people find so exiting about the Squarepusher
> remix. I hope his own material is a bit more coherent.
FFS, the slow down to the cheesy bit and the way the beats cut back in
make for one of the idm moments of the year so far. It's nearly summer,
open your windows, play this LOUD !
Jon Burrell - cage rattled :)
OnNow: Orbital - In Sides (forgive and forget for The Box single, eh ? )