Sandoz - "Dark Continent" (Touch TONE:4CD)
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Dark Continent / Biosynthetic / Neon Soul / Transworld / Satellite /
Orgasmatron / Neotek / Your Mind / Gun (Time Will Come) / Libation
"Dark Continent" originally saw the light of day back in 1993 as a six
track, vinyl-only e.p. (now deleted). The new version, reviewed here,
includes four additional tracks from the original recording session and
is available only on the compact disc format. The record, in its
revamped state, constitutes a fully-fledged album and is thus the
fourth full-length release for Richard H. Kirk in his more dance
-orientated Sandoz guise (other Kirk aliases include Cabaret Voltaire
and Sweet Exorcist). The press release describes Sandoz as "dance music
for the twenty first century" which, by and large, is a fairly apt (if
rather pretentious) description of the sounds on "Dark Continent."
Strong beats, heavy bass and catchy, repetitive melodies combine to give
the record its floor-appeal, whilst the elimination of excessive
dramatics and mainstream dance music's tendency to employ dreadful
cliches means that the music works on a purely listening-for-listening's
-sake level as well. The sounds which shape the music are quite
characteristic of the artist and it is perhaps these, in conjunction
with song structures comprising the predominant use of simple repetitive
loops, which gives the record a slightly futuristic feel. Overall, "Dark
Continent" is somewhat of a mixed bag, the tracks ranging from rather
excellent to rather, well, just okay. No obvious division is apparent
(six tracks in), the "new" tracks standing up equally well alongside the
founder members, which makes me wonder why the record did not appear in
this format originally. The clear standout track here is "Orgasmatron" -
a six minute slice of pure dance-pop bliss. Trance inducing in its
endless loops, this track has more hooks than a fisherman's tackle box.
The effect is like being on drugs without having had any (unless, of
course, you call music a drug). "Neotek," one of the new additions here,
is also a damn fine piece of music, although its virtues are somewhat
different. The sound is more open and spacious, allowing latex bass,
ethnic chatter and bird song to go about their business unhindered. Soft
synths smooth things over but the repeating riffs are omnipresent as
ever. "Biosynthetic," "Transworld," "Your Mind" and "Libation" too are
all excellent. On the downside, "Neon Soul" bears an unfortunate
resemblance to (crap) house music, and the hand claps on "Gun (Time Will
Come)" are quite dreadful, lending the music a horrible eighties-pop
feel. On the whole though, this is a most solid record guaranteed to
provide pleasure, and is a definite must for Kirk fanatics everywhere
(even those who already have the vinyl original).
Released June 24, 1996.
Chris Watson - "Stepping Into The Dark" (Touch TO:27)
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Low Pressure / Embleton Rookery / The Crossroads / River Mara At Dawn /
River Mara At Night / A Passing View / Bosque Seco / Sunsets / The Blue
Men Of The Minch / High Pressure / Gahlitzerstrom / The Forest Path
"Stepping Into The Dark" sits in stark contrast to "Dark Continent " on
the Touch Records roster; what could be more man-made than a collection
of musical compositions played using electronic instruments, and what
less so than the sound of nature itself? This record comprises a diverse
set of natural recordings from different parts of the globe, including
Britain, Europe, Africa and the Americas. After working with Cabaret
Voltaire and The Hafler Trio, Chris Watson became sound recordist for
the Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds and has since joined a
film production company which makes wildlife documentaries for the BBC.
Although these recordings cannot be regarded as music in the classical
sense, they nonetheless make for pleasant and (on the whole) relaxing
listening, and to a certain extent fulfil the same function as many
ambient records. Chris Watson's role is presumably only that of producer
and compiler since artist credits must by rights go to the planet. "Low
Pressure" was recorded in the Highlands of Scotland during October and
convincingly conveys the turbulent buffeting of the wind. Because the
atmosphere of the site is captured so well, I find this piece rather
unsettling; fortunately, the remaining eleven recordings are most
relaxing. "Embleton Rookery" features, as the name suggests, the sounds
of rooks and other crows early in the morning as they begin to get their
day's business underway, whereas the stars of "The Crossroads" are
various, small woodland birds; both recordings were made in the north of
England. The relative quiet of "River Mara At Dawn" (swirling water, the
odd fly and a few birds) contrasts with the impenetrable wall of sound
(chirruping crickets and frogs, and the occasional lion's roar) recorded
at the same Kenyan river on the evening of the very same day. "A Passing
View" records the relaxing sounds of a Venezuelan lakeside, which
surprisingly include those made by fishing bats (of all things), and
"Bosque Seco" captures the atmosphere of a tropical Costa Rican forest.
Other highlights include the signature whistles and clicks of bottlenose
dolphins in the Moray Firth ("The Blue Men Of The Minch") and the
glorious sound of pouring rain combined with the distant croon of stags
on a Scottish hillside ("The Forest Path"). As Chris Watson himself
writes, "there is an intangible sense of being in a special place -
somewhere that has a spirit - a place that has an atmosphere."
Out now.
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s e n d c d s f o r r e v i e w t o :
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||||\\ //|||| ___ //////////////////////
|||| \\// |||| ||// \\ /////
|||| |||| |||. ____ ///// Paul Jarvis,
\\\\\ ///// John Innes Centre,
\\\\\ ///// Norwich Research Park,
jarvisr@bbsrc.ac.uk \\\\\// Colney, Norwich NR4 7UH,
England, United Kingdom.
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