Hi folks. I meant to post most of this before Christmas but uh, didn't. So
here's most of the reviews now. Apologies for the lack of new releases being
reviewed but I'm trying to fill those holes in my collection. Let me know if
reviews of old material bugs you.
--
Reviewed:
Autechre : Tri Repetae (Warp)
Kid Spatula : Spatula Freak (Reflective)
Ken Ishii : Jelly Tones (R&S)
AFX : Hangable Auto Bulb EP 2 (Warp)
Acid Junkies : Part 4 (DJax Upbeats)
Carl Craig : Landcruising (Blanco Y Negro)
[Various] : Sirius (Tresor)
[Various] : Tresor 3 (Tresor)
Speedy J : G-Spot (Warp)
Pure Plastic : Pure Plastic 4 (Pure Plastic)
.X-Trak : I-Node EP (Peacefrog)
C4.5 : C4.5 (Basic Channel)
Deepside : Tolerance EP (FNAC)
Synectics : The Purple Universe (Rephlex)
[Various] : Relics (Transmat)
Autechre : Tri Repetae (Warp)
It's a long time since I've been totally surprised by an album but
Autechre have got me here. Not having heard _Amber_, I dropped the
needle expecting to hear that swirling Incunabulan darkness and some
Gescom isolationism, but this is an album that on the first listen will
have you thinking 'What the fuck' for it's pure intractibility. Awkward
would be a useful term if it applied to the album after it's first
listen but that just ain't how it is - get over the initial head-
scratching phase and you'll find one of the most engrossing and layered
albums released in 1995. The hissing white-noise beats are still in
evidence but where as they took a back seat to the dark moods on
_Incunabula_, here they're inextricably entwined with the claustrophobic
atmospheres that echo out of the Gescom studio. The graceful but
unnerving structures on _Clipper_ are a prime example, as are the very
AFX-esq sounds (circa _I Care..._) on _Leterel_, and the dusty melody on
_Rotor_. Where this album really excels is when the trademark Autechren
beats are dropped in favour of mistimed rhythms - the mellow but greasy
jazz groove of _Stud_ is a masterpiece and the bizarre synth burblings
of _Gnit_, despite sounding like a queasy stomach, are gently soothing.
And if you like your techno majestic and futuristic, check the liquid
chrome sound attack of _Eutow_. Innovative this album certainly is - not
only do Autechre seem to be testing themselves and making sure their
music never stagnates, the unique sound they're pushing is one which is
gradually getting warmer, fusing that remote feeling of previous amazing
tracks like _Windwind_ with an electronic emotion that isn't readily
apparent from the cool bursts of noise employed as the beats. You're
going to need to give this album time though - beat junkies who demand
immediacy aren't going to penetrate the moods and timbres of this
brilliant, emotionally absorbing album.
Kid Spatula : Spatula Freak (Reflective)
Good stuff. Mike Paradinas manages to avoid the patchy, uncohesiveness
of _In Pine Effect_ and produces nine tracks that cover the ground
nicely between _Bluff Limbo_ and _Makesaracket_. _Dance 3_ is first up
and a more uplifting, cheeky track by Mike P is hard to imagine -
luckily it doesn't stoop to that cheesiness that plagued _Pine_. This
is what I was hoping to hear for the rest of the LP and while the future
funk-with-an-edge tracks always please, (the scraping brass beats of
_Xvon_, the melancholic layers of _Cough_ and the downright weirdness of
_Not Human_), there are more of those Jake Slazenger quirky beats and
Casio chords. The jumpy funk of _Get Up T_ is most enjoyable but _Trunk_
unloads the cheese at a high rate and it ain't too long before it begins
to grate (pun intended). Still, the hit ratio is a great deal higher
this time around and although this LP comes across as another Mu-Ziq
compilation, rather than an album in its own right, it works pretty damn
well. And if those merry melodies get too irritating, there's always the
cleansing power of _Metal Thing #1_ - one of the most abrasive Mu-Ziq
tracks ever that remixes a track from _Bluff Limbo_. This thing shifts
earwax at 50ft.
Ken Ishii : Jelly Tones (R&S)
That Ishii always took a different route in techno was always a good
thing - _Garden On the Palm_ and _Kala_ are both two tracks that proved
that Ishii was out there somewhere, jacked in to what was happening but
also with an individual edge to his tracks. _Jelly Tones_ was going to
be a useful indicator though - how weird could he go? Well, not weird
enough. The effort and overall polish thats gone into this record is
obvious but the end results seem to just fall short of what was promised
on his various 12"s. A good example is _Pause in Herbs_ which is a
prime example of Ishiis' indivduality fused with his techno knowhow, but
somehow it just doesn't gel. There's weirdness a-plenty if you want it
but its shifted into the background - the mistuned chiming on the techno
beats of _Stretch_ work but they're understated and it just falls short
of working as a track. This seems to be a major fault in this LP - the
tracks are well-done and and some are quite good indeed but it seems to
lack that spark thats needed to give the tracks a kick up the arse and
promote them from merely average to standout. However, there are
highlights - _Extra_ should work like a charm on the dancefloor and
Ken's stab at jungle on _Ethos 9_ is intricate and interesting. _Frame
Out_ kicks beautifully with some polished synththesised drums and the
closing ambience of _Endless Season_ with it's beautiful pitch-bending
bassline is an excellent closing track. A glossy LP then but one that
misses the mark and this is a fault that not even the excellent
packaging can hide after a few listens.
AFX : Hangable Auto Bulb EP 2 (Warp)
Richard James drops the focus of the pseudo-junglist rhythmic workouts
as on _HAB1_ and opts for more of those C64 chip music melodies. The
end result falls short of the mayhem of the first EP, but the beats are
still stapled painfully onto those melodic stabs and the screaming synth
lead on _Arched Maid Via RDJ_ is nastier than a Bladerunner replicant on
the rampage. The sampled child moaning about a husband on _Every Day_ is
kind of fun too but I'm still waiting for a new RDJ release to blow me
away rather than merely amuse me for a few days. Still, a good 12" (if
you can find it).
Acid Junkies : Part 4 (DJax Upbeats)
Spunky acid from those Dutch DJunkies. Stefan Robbers and pal H de
Kinderen have some distorted but polished beats and some aggro,
frequency shattering acid lines. The acid sounds have a bizarre wet
plastic feel to them, and the hint of distortion on those 808s gives the
tracks a hard-edged bliss. Two more reasons to buy this four-tracker are
that one of the tracks is called _Hotel Discomfort_ and the packaging is
a cut-out and build-your-own Acid Junkies cardboard 303. Cute.
Carl Craig : Landcruising (Blanco Y Negro)
A long time coming but it got here finally, and if you're familiar with
Carls other material, get ready to be surprised. This is because on the
first listen, you'll be struck not only by how good it is but also how
*normal* it seems. _Science Fiction_ (present on this LP in a slightly
more remixed form), when it was first released as a 12", seemed like
classic Craig material but next to this LP, it seems one of the more
experimental tracks. But don't let the simplicty of tracks like _Mind of
a Machine_ put you off, this is an LP of beguiling pure techno, prime
examples being the analogue scrapes of _Technology_, the Hood-esq
scrambling beats of _One Day Soon_ and the laid back, mercurial bliss of
_Home Entertainment_. It's the simplicty that works on this LP - Carl
seems to be getting back to the roots of techno, not only in the
simplistic beats and string stabs but in the general arrangement of the
tracks. So it might lack the fuzzed experimentation of _Microlovr_ or
the pumping machinations of _Jam The Box_ - this is Carl creating a
cerebral celebration of techno that harks back to _Crackdown_ and his
early Transmat tracks. It's an outstanding LP, not because it breaks
new barriers but because it *works*, pure and simple. I'm not sure of
any other techno LP that champions the cause of techno in each and
every track like this one. And it does it in a way that isn't merely
retro-wank reminiscence - there's enough new ideas in here to last a
number of albums. Earth-shattering innovation isn't on display but
what is, is emotional and timeless. A must own.
[Various] : Sirius (Tresor)
The newest compilation from those generous Tresor people, brings
together some of the recent Tresor releases together with some choice
licenses. It's easy to see where Spira get their sound from on listening
to Jeff Mills' _Wrath of the Punisher_ - minimal clangs with that
thumping, relentless Mills four/four kick off the compilation. Rob Hoods
_Parade_ features a cheeky, funky guitar lick and Dan Bells _Acid
Phreak_ is typical Bell - great if you dig that Bell style. Tresor picked
up a smart license too - Cristian Vogels _Ninjah_ (from the first 12"
on Vogels' Mosquito label) tweaks and bangs as only Vogel knows how -
insane funk and an anarchic beat that does your head in. The rather weak
_Astralieb_ by Gagarin Kongress that follows it is overshadowed as a
result. Juan Atkins' _Flash Flood_ is a dream treat though - remote
pitchbending chords and echoing beats always go down well. Another good
Tresor compilation - maybe not outstandingly original but full of tracks
that are well worth owning if you didn't pick them up the first time
around.
[Various] : Tresor 3 (Tresor)
Another Tresor comp - you should know what it's about by now. Hard techno
is the order of the day and with tracks from Jeff Mills (_Solid Sleep_),
Joey Beltram (the foreboding _Ten Four_) and the Basic Channel guys
(_Domina_) you can't really go wrong. Highlights are Rob Hoods _The
Rhythm of Vision_, which falls neatly between his harder and lighter
material and Mills' remix of DJ Hells _Allerseelen_. Strike it lucky and
you'll get the limited edition with a free 12" - Sun Electrics'
_Monolith_ is okay but not their best. Forget about it though and instead,
revel in the beauty of Schizophrenia's eponymous track. This
collaboration between Mortiz Van Oswald and Thomas Fehlmann is a
gorgeous, beatless freeform ride - ambience with an edge. It comes
together beautifully at the end with those trademark Basic Channel
melodious clangs too. A top compilation and even better if you get that
limited Schizophrenia track.
Speedy J : G-Spot (Warp)
Boy, did this album have a lot to live up to. _Ginger_ was a triumph for
European techno, as it managed to finally get that clean Euro sound
fused with emotion - if tracks like _R2-D2_ and _De-Orbit_ didn't move
you then you must have been either deaf or dead. Luckily, Rotterdams
finest, Jochem Paap, manages to turn in another top album and whilst it
doesn't seem to match the complex layers and attention to detail that
permeated most of _Ginger_, most of the tracks on _G-Spot_ are competent
and emotional. _The FUN Equations_ kicks off with some open-air string
stabs that buoy you up nicely for the rest of the LP. _Ping Pong_
however sees Jochem drop into his dancey, almost clubby style that he
used so well on the _Pepper_ 12". There are quite a few journeys into
melodic ambience on this LP too - mainly in the form of the Fills but
both _Lanzarote_ and _Extruma_ provide ultra-smooth soundscapes for the
horizontally inclined. Orb-esq trip-hop courtesy of _The Oil Zone_ and
_Treatments_ is also catered for although they seem to slightly lose
their way. The final beatless track _Grogono_ is a glorious string
driven masterpiece, so wet and lush, you need to hang your speakers
out to dry afterwards. Overall then, this is a varied and accomplished
LP. Maybe the intricacies and subtlety of _Ginger_ aren't as much in
evidence but what is, positively drips with that Speedy J competence.
Jochem excels at creating artificial synthetic timbres and atmospheres
but they're always emotional, always involved and always welcome.
Pure Plastic : Pure Plastic 4 (Pure Plastic)
Number four in the Pure Plastic series sees Stasis contribute the
dancey, moody and emminently brilliant _20ft Scarf_ with it's driving
bassline alongside two Broom/Hill techno workouts. _Routes_ is a perky,
beat-driven track with some Detroit moods at the end and _Weather_ is a
glorious string centered, light techno number. This 12" is a big
departure from number three which was dark, fractured and awkward as
hell - this time around everything is more accessable and ultimately,
more enjoyable.
.X-Trak : I-Node EP (Peacefrog)
Minimal Dan Bell-tinged techno from Todd Sines. The gleeful, perky
riff on _Facc_ is a joy to behold, as is the cut-down Surburban Knight
type swirling darkness of _Ulon_. The other two tracks clatter along
nicely too although without the concentration and focus. Good stuff.
C4.5 : C4.5 (Basic Channel)
Less is more. If you thought that the Basic Channel sound couldn't get
any more minimal, think again; this is a ten minute loop of a laid-back,
undoubtedly BC, house groove. But the sound is drenched in that
seemingly effortless Maurizio warmth and intricacy, the end result being
a luxurious, rich sound that never gets boring. Unique and fantastic.
Deepside : Tolerance EP (FNAC)
Before Ludovic Navarre switched to the jazzed-up house of _Boulevard_,
he was responsible for some of the most beautiful techno coming out of
Europe courtesy of FNAC and F Communications, its' succesor - this EP
shows just why. _French_ is one of the few tracks that fuse smooth,
focused chords with the acid riffs that abounded in 1992/1993 - it's
such a beautiful track, the melodic stabs that pop up from the flowing
chords are memorable and emotional - one of my favourite tracks ever.
The flip side suffers from a (now) outdated acid track but _II._ is a
layered, Carl Craig type affair with those instantly recognisable
Navarre fluffy chords riding over the hissing hi-hats. Beautiful stuff.
Synectics : The Purple Universe (Rephlex)
A Rephlex oldie. Back in the day (well, uh 1993) when "innovation in
the dynamics of acid" was the phrase, this smooth-sounding Euro take
on approachable techno with a hint of acid, would have pleased me
greatly. Luckily it still sounds pretty good today - the clean analogue
bass and distant chords are pleasant, despite lacking any real form of
kick that grabs you; _Zycoon_ is a perfect example of this, being
perfectly listenable but ultimately nothing much more. _The Final
Moment_ is a track that occupies all of one side - drifting ambience
sandwiched between two slices of Detroits finest and it works well.
There's quite a bit on offer and despite no real standout track, it's
all listenable, enjoyable techno.
[Various] : Relics (Transmat)
Buy it. At any price. Forget that this is the roots of what we listen
to today and just sit down and listen to it afresh. Life-affirmingly
beautiful music.
|| [CiM]
|| s.walley@uea.ac.uk
||
http://www.sys.uea.ac.uk/~u9323899/