colongib
_mapping music_ cd
kracfive, u.s. - kfat004cd
01. buckshot
02. dr. ganfo and cousin dexta chillin' in the basement
03. giraffunkedgazz [with miragliuo]
04. canoli kick
05. fat_mat
06. retrigger
07. lolli seed
08. lonely analog dog
09. sinedaddy
10. what map
so, after all the fuss with squarepusher & his album _music is rotted
one note_, it does seem like elements of fusion jazz have reappeared in
electronic music. but jenkinson being mostly content with replicating
the noodling wonders of times past, somebody else had to do the task of
seeing where the sound might lead when actually combined with more
straight-on 1999 idm. & actually, popping colongib's _mapping music_ in
the cd player might not as first listen make one recall any rotted one
notes - unless you count the occasional use of the seinfeld brand slap
bass, one of those instruments which for some reason seem to sound wrong
under pretty much any circumstance. the first thing that came to mind
on the initial listen was autechre's lp5. except - aw, darn, what is
it? melodies? coherent beat patterns? actual groove, albeit of the
cold, angular sort? whereas lp5 would presuppose that you're currently
listening to their album in a plasticine factory around alpha centauri,
_mapping music_ immediately embarks in no-filler mode & starts off with
a stun, 'buckshot', which already makes matters complicated to start
with as you wonder: 'is that really going on?' & yes, it is going on, &
you are glad it is.
if like me all you had heard from colongib (christopher graves)
previously to this was the song 'megablasterfiend' on _blip, bleep:
soundtracks to imaginary videogames_ (lucky kitchen) that made a point
to delve where no atari was ever meant to go, you will probably jump at
the difference in sound. on _mapping music_, the beats approach
schematic-like crunch, & the melodic track is everywhere: once funk,
then jazz (lots of that, but totally messed up), then mulches &
granules... it is a dense album which has its share of surprises
throughout, although by the end it does seems to drag on a bit & the
sound selection begins to seem a little random - but the first half more
than makes up for this: 'dr. ganfo and cousin dextah chillin in the
basement' & 'giraffunkedgazz' (the latter a collaboration with
miragliuo) are of this inclassifiable breed of songs which you can't
really call jazz yet recognize a pattern, _something_ which has jazz in
it. & it happens to swing & groove & be happy with itself.
indeed, _mapping music_ is a complex affair. its name is well deserved:
music like this can't come from a textbook or from used fusion vinyls
from the seventies. it has yet to be mapped out so that others may find
the trail or be lost forever in an ocean of infinite noodling.
fortunately, christopher graves can draw a map clearly - & cleverly -
enough for everybody & your cat to not only 'understand' but also enjoy
the hike. so, do.
--
david