Hi all,
in the light of recent "nobody's posting reviews anymore" whinings I'll go
ahead and review some things real quick that I just got. No new stuff among
this, sorry, most if it was used.
boards of canada (skam)
If I had gotten this in '96, it would have made it to the top of my vote.
Great dark, warm sounds, breakbeats that stay in the background, really
relaxed and really makes you want to crank it up.
On a side note, does SKA007 (key nell) really come only in this
plastic-bubbly liner or is it just my ep?
metalheadz: platinum breakz (ffrr)
someone wrote about this the other day and said he wouldn't have bought it
if he hadn't found a used copy. same with me. some great tracks though,
especially those by doc scott and dillinja. Side A is more bukem-type stuff,
and I agree that there are a few too many divas. Side B is on a harder tip
and much better, with one outstanding, almost experimental Lemon D track (In
my life).
In order to dance vol 6: drum & bass session 1 (R&S)
hmmm. mostly jazzy d&b material, lots of alex reece remixes of ken ishhii,
juan atkins and the likes. Even if you know the original track, you won't
recognize it cuz it all sounds like Alex Reece. most tracks just noodle along.
not recommended, except if you need another wicked Lemon D track (manhattan
melody).
Legally Stoned comp. (higher limits)
now *this* is a decent d&b collection. amsterdam's rewind records compiled
some beautiful, atmospheric, non-diva, non-cheesy tracks. great to chill to.
if you liked the more ambient side of logical progrssion, you will love this
one. one cd is mixed, one unmixed just like that one. recommended.
Art of Noise: the d&b collection
Good stuff to play to those of your friends that are not into d&b or even
electronics. Alas, I've got more than my fair share of those so I should
like this one :)
"is this guy ever gonna stop reviewing that drum&bass shit?"
alright, you got it.
DJ Shadow: Endtroducing (mo wax)
really like it, but I don't get why it was hyped to be "the best trip hop
album yet". Just because the guy knows how to use a sampler? Outstanding
tracks: Changeling, Midnight in a Perfect World and Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain.
Dr. Rockit: the music of sound (clear)
first 6 or so tracks are kind of boring. things start moving with "music
box". not as housy as _100 lbs_, but not necessarily way better. however,
music box, male james bonding and the walk make the purchase worthwile for me.
(drumroll)
and now...
FSOL: dead cities
I never really knew what people had to rave about the post-Accelerator fsol,
I always thought the their work got more annoying with every release, with
ISDN being the preliminary climax of annoyingness. This one tops it all off.
One hour of lame pseudo-experimental breakbeats and misplaced samples that
could come straight from ISDN. yuck. the last album that annoyed me this
much was subliminal sandwich. (btw, anyone wanna buy a mint copy of
subliminal sandwich?)
IMHO, FSOL ran out of breath with the moment they released accelerator
(which I still love to listen to, btw, if you listen to it in a 1992 context).
all for now...
--tom
ps- alec empire playing live here in cologne on the mille plateaux tour this
saturday...