Aphex Twin: Girl/Boy (Warp)
Yes, I know it's been mentioned quite often, but I'm surprised nobody has
gone loony over the Girl/Boy track. I think it's brilliant, and it just
could be another one of those James/Glass tracks that have never seen the
late of the day. Beautiful string work. If you like the drums, take it
back to the old school, and dig up Edgard Varese's Ionisation from the
1940's, and you can see once again that it's all been done before,
percussion wise. It's also probably the first use of a siren in music,
althought some die-hard Satie fan may be able to prove me wrong. But
back to girl/boy, think Pancake Lizard melodies and wack-ass beats. A
parody of jungle, which certainly deserves it.
Saint Etienne: The Sea (PFM mix) (white label)
Gee, my first jungle record. One song. Sarah Cracknell makes one or two
appearances in straight up sample format, while PFM (the only jungloid I
like) takes a very thick beat that seems quite fast, but really isn't
once you start tapping to it. Laid back synth washes all around. Great
for home.
Cantina: Mos Eisley Melody (Definitive)
Not idm, but a truly fun house record. And yes, guessing by the title
it's exactly what you think, a sample of the infamous jazz/lounge scene
from the original Star Wars. A side is the one to beat, with a typical
house beat, and a Sneak-y cut-up of the movie track. Teases you for quite
a while, and then near the end the full sample comes in. Blissful, if
you're as goony as I am for Star Wars. B side is two remixes, one on the
hard house tip, and the other on minimal Chi-town.
Drexciya 3: Molecular Enhancement (Rephlex)
Re-release from Rephlex, and my introduction to Drexciya. Nice stuff,
good for the head, not sure about the feet. If anybody can point to
similar releases, I'm all ears.
Phil Downey
onnow: slowdive - just for a day
ps. I second the request for info on cheap records.