Well I'm getting around to it before April ;-)
Someone complained that there are are no good reviews here any more.
I don't know if my reviews are that good, but I at least have done a few:
At any rate here's what I liked it 1996, in no particular order, and
according to my own system of grouping an album with associated EP/Remixes
Kinesthesia "Empathy Box" and Empathy Box remixes. Simply a lovely
collection of harmonic lushness and simplicity.
Aphex Twin "Richard D James" and "Boy Girl" This is more like it, after
a few dodgey releases. Rhythmically inventive, harmonically pleasant,
idiosyncratic and relentlessly silly. Like starting the morning with
a prozac and methedrine cocktail.
Cujo "Adventures in Foam" -- skulking the crossroads of Drum and Bass
and Trip Hop, hit and run sampling with attitude. There ya go.
TPower "Waveform" -- the sound of taking way too many drugs. Drum and
bass in a thick soup of mangled samples. As with "the self evident
truth of an intuitive mind" T Power has taken the drugs so you don't have to.
Jeff Mills "Live at the Liquid Room" You may hate minimal 4 on the floor
techno, but this precisely what DJ's SHOULD do with music.
Cylob "Cylobian Sunset" This is what I like -- personal, human-sized
music. Once again I am seduced by a guy who can do a thing or two
harmonically very well indeed.
Glenn Underground "Atmosfear" I'm from the US Midwest, so House music
is everywhere. GU seems to synthesize the simple house rhythm with
bits of everything cheesy about house, and still comes up with something
with soul and dancefloor credebility. Like Paul Johnson, 1996 was a
year in which the Cajual/Relief crew were given some respect as producers
of listening/dance music. No matter how many times House music is
pronounced dead it just keeps coming.
Labradford (Kranky 013) The Labradford boys were ambient before ambient
was cool, they were indie back when it meant something, and groups
like Tortoise have to give them their due as originators of the only
adventurous genre left in guitar rock. This eponymous/untitled
release shows off their most refined lush, dark, and melodic work
to date. Like the most chilled early Pink Floyd, this record is trance
inducing, and meets the eno test of ambience -- equally as engaging
as sonic wallpaper and something which bears close listening.
Bochum Welt "Module 2" This boy is obviously a big Aphex Twin fan, and
this record could be called derivative of the early joyrex sound, if
it wasn't so damn good.
Assembled 19/20 (Florence/East Island) The low boys at eevo lute
have that dutch pleasure principle down pat, and this release got
the best word picture from teep (check the archives). Describing
it (especially after writing all the above) exhausts me, but expect
606ish electo jams, and real musicians at work.
Best Label for Album Art: Rephlex. Mike & Rich? Module 2? Vulva
"Birdwatching"? Ever a laugh, always attractive, and aren't we all
getting just a little sick of Designers Republic?
Best Demo: Geordan Drummond "Disposable Tunes" (g-d@worldnet.att.net)
Low tech bedroom boffin with a penchant for song titles out of Hot Rod
magazine. Imagine disjecta/afx style tunes on a dub d&b tip, as illustrated
by Big Daddy Roth.
Worst Demo: I won't name names, wouldn't be prudent, but while
the tapes I get are usually great, I got one that made me grind my
teeth for a week. Imagine if you will, calls to 'keep the vibe alive'
over those bad sampled stabs so loved by 2Unlimited, and one really
tired 303 loop sample that seemed to show up on every tune. Electronic
music is great because most people even at their most slipshod and inept
occasionally make interesting mistakes. When someone KNOWS what
their doing and knows HOW TO DO IT, and it still SUCKS HARD, that it's
time to be very afraid.
Best Mix Tapes: Teep (aran@hnt.com) keeps me awake on road trips. He mixes
well, he's got excellent taste, and even his one off packages have some humor
and style to them. In 1997 I predict some label with a clue will hire
this boy for a mix CD, and he'll tear things up proper.
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"i love the smell of new carpet. it makes me dizzy. just like when you
fall in love." -- Mike Dvorkin
Home Page, featuring Reagan on Black Velvet, the EMP Compilation CD,
samples of my music, etc
http://soli.inav.net/~kent/
Kent Williams kent@inav.net
CADSI 2651 Crosspark Road Coralville IA 52241
(319) 338 6053 (home)
(319) 626 6700 x 219 (work)
(319) 626 3489 (fax)