This one is probably going to be long, so you might want to skip it if you
don't have the time.
Reviewed here:
Autechre-Basscadet EP
Locust- Needle 12"
Peyote- Alcatraz 12"
Speedy J- Beam Me Up 12"
Squid- Overdub 12"
The Ambush- Aton Mixes 12"
Loop Guru- Duniya LP
Autechre- Basscadet 3x10" Box Set (Warp)
I really wasn't in to Incunabula when it first came out, but this was
so good it made me go back and listen to it again.
BCDTMX- mix by Autechre with basically distorted synths/beats/voices. A little
different than the original, but not too much. Basically a stronger
rhythm.
BEAUMONTHANNANTTWOMX- Yes! The trademark clangy irregular BH rhythm with
a gorgeous melody not found in the original.
SEEFEELMX- Very minimal repeated dronings. The drums don't sound very electronic
this one is pretty repetitve, but the texture is very interesting and
repeated listenings reveal more underneath the surface.
BASSCADOUBLEMX- Rhythm builds, then stops, then BANG! In comes a way cool
break that provide what a lot of their tracks need- stronger rhythm.
TAZMX- Another Autechre mix (like the above) with some more weirdo noises
and a distorted warped melody loop over an irregular shuffling beat.
12/4CADETMX- Another BH mix, which makes things a little bit more bleepy
and brings in a pretty cool beat.
Overall, things are looking up for Autechre. Look out for Texturology by
Beaumont Hannant, out May 3rd i think. It's a pretty good deal for three
records, and anyways the whole set up looks cool. Still don't dig the album
that much though.
Locust- Needle (Apollo)
The title track reminds me of muffled engine noises at an Indy race.
These revving noises preside over a soft beat that drops and continues.
Christe Eleison was supposedly made in 1984 and is pure beatless ambient
beauty. Dreams (also from '84) is a little bit more dated sounding with
mainly some distorted vocals over a slow beat and a slightly warped synth.
Air Primary sounds like an Aphex rip-off, with a distorted beat comprising
95% of the song. However, it lacks the ferocity and energy of the Aphex
Twin. Root was recorded live in December '93 and is basically a strange
beat with some non-sensical synth patterns. Musical but not melodic. This
12" is limited to 500, but if you miss it don't feel bad. The album "Weathered
Well" is much better.
Peyote- Alcatraz (R&S)
Peyote is Jam El Mar and DJ Dag in something similar to Dance 2 Trance
in that it pays homage to American Indians. Alcatraz starts with a tamborine
like sound that introduces the basic 4/4 beat. In comes a nice melody and
tribal chanting intertwines with the melody, really complementing it. At the
end comes that staggered sound very common in Jam and Spoon songs a la "Follow
Me" and their mix of Cosmic Baby's "Loops of Infinity". I Will Fight No
More, on the B-side, is slower, with some tribal drumming and an American
Indian melody, with a "chief" chastising the white man. On a side note, there
are some Jam and Spoon remixes of the Pet Shop Boys' "Young Offender" which
are pretty worthless.
Speedy J- Beam Me Up/Pepper (Beam Me Up!)
On Speedy J's on label, both songs contain the basic elements of
the original, but with a funky housey beat. Pepper is the better of the
two, but I prefer the originals, which are a lot more spacey. However when
you're in the mood for that housey kind of stuff, these are quite good.
Perhaps a new direction for Jochem?
Squid- Overdub (Apollo)
One of the best Apollo releases in a long time. Overdub has a really
*really* slow dub beat that's really cool. A hollow sounding bassline
complements the beat, and some ethnic vocals top it all off. This one holds
its own with many of the tracks featured on the Ambient Dub series. On the
flip side, Emprisoning Sound On A Piece of Wax has a basic slow beat and a
beautiful melody that is very entertaining. There's a lot of variety here
from the normal Apollo ambience, and I like it a lot.
The Ambush- Aton (remixes) (Harthouse)
Finally a Harthouse release I can stomach. This one is actually
sounding close to the line of being on Eye-Q. The Ambush is Oliver Lieb
under yet another psedonym, this being his "ethnic" sound. These kind of
tribal samples are really all over the place these days. The Progressive
Attack mix has some cool breakdown madness accompaning the 145 thump as
well as some tribal voice and a very Visions of Shiva sounding melody.
The BeZet mix (by Stevie BeZet- check out his other stuff, it's good) is a
lot moodier with some deep melody behind basically the same music a little
bit slower. There's a 303 on this one, but it complements the music rather
than it being the main focus. That's how I like it. Look for a full album
from The Ambush real soon. Mixmag gave it a bad review though.
Loop Guru- Duniya (Nation)
As if you haven't noticed, this tribal ethno sound is all over the
place. Sometimes on this LP, it sounds real cut-and-paste and ends up
sounding a little cheesy. However, it never descends to say, Deep Forest
style. It's a lot more authentic, as they maintain a real definite style,
although it doesn't always work. The best among the up tempo numbers is
obviously Sussantics, which is just a great song. "Freedom from the Known"
gets a little bit funky, while "Senseless" is just too fast in a Seti Project
kind of way. As the album progresses it gets a little slower and quieter,
and the last song "The Complete Picture" is really well done, very ambient
with some slow beats. If you like this kind of music, this is definitely
a good purchase. Be on the lookout for this style getting overused and
tiresome though.
On the Detroit side, check out the new Model 500 on R&S. The new Renegade
Soundwave LP gets a stateside release on June 7. I really didn't like the
album that much though-- too many vocals, sometimes reminding me of Mr C.
oh well, thanks for your time.
Jonathan
eabu751@orion.oac.uci.edu