Wagon Christ
"The Power of Love" E.P.
Virgin Records Ltd.
Street Date: June 27, 1998
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1. RENDLESHACK 5:20
*** Featured Pick *** A totally crazed out funky drum kit slaps itself
inside out for the first minute. Strange organic sizzling, and at the
1:05-mark, the big beat pounds around the room as if isolated from
everything and anything. There's a smooth, chaotic but silent piano extract
wisping around nicely. 1:54, and the track gets even edgier, even more
visible. Ultra smooth drum'n bass ambience, in perfected harmonious tones.
Then we're introduced to a subtle melody riff, sounds like a flute of some
sort, and excellently mixed sounds in a jazzy vein. There's the odd drum
solos here and there, witch eventually leads us to the superbly constructed
Luke Vibert beat, and minimal bass. A slow ending to a truly unique yet
powerful dub-funk track.
2. BREAKAGE No.1 3:14
*** Featured Pick *** A pulsing, beat driven, subtle pound of drums shines
in many colors. Crispy, totally doped up trip-hop break beat, with heavily
warped yet focused high-hats snapping in ten directions. The real beat
cracks open at around one minute, revealing with it several dark organ
extracts that totally define this track at the 2:05-mark. The theremin can
be heard, from miles away, and I'm totally amused until I find out that the
track is over just as soon it started. "Breakage No.1" will strengthen your
mind, and regenerate images that were once lost in your conscience. Then
it'll stretch those images into several distinct colors until the world is
no longer part of reality, and *POOF* you're awakened by the ending. It's
all over. You'll hit ~REPEAT~ on your player a few times before the entire
feeling is deep inside you, trust me.
3. BREAKAGE No.2 3:35
An old-school hip-hop beat wraps itself around a sort of 80's electro funk
horn, until about 55 seconds into the track. An eerie sounding focus on
moody rhythms, and chimes that pop up around the beat. I can't quite define
what I'm hearing here. There's a mix of dark-experimental sounds,
old-school funk, and weird electronic bleeps creeping all around the
hip-hop beat. Too deranged to classify, too good understand. Perhaps it was
just meant that way.
4. FILTHY DRUMMER 4:18
*** Featured Pick *** Ever peaceful voice cries out, molding itself into an
electronically twisted rhythm of smooth jazz chords, with subtle taps of an
introductory beat. 0:59, and a beat that is the biggest, the phattest, the
heaviest I've ever heard! This is definitely a beat that _Meat Beat
Manifesto_ would cream over. 2:28, and this totally bass-driven big beat
moves itself into solo elements of jazz, funk, and a totally mind inspiring
realm of smooth, crisp, and striking power. There are a few subtle
samples, sped up a little, and hardly distinguishable. I can only wonder
how someone could dislike this track, with its hard-punches of cracking
trip-hop, and a mentally disorienting rhythm, I just can't imagine going on
any further in life without listening to this filthy drummer at work.
Absolutely glorious music, elevating itself in its own genre.
ALBUM NOTES: Written by Luke Vibert, produced by Wagon Christ.
TRACK NOTES: RENDLESHACK: Taken from the forthcoming album _Taly Ho_.
---Overall Sound Composition: (1-10) = 9
---Overall Percussion Composition: (1-10) = 10
---Overall Rhythm Composition: (1-10) = 9
Overall: 28
Summary:
What else can I say about Luke Vibert, the electro-big-beat-old-school-funk
meister? He's on a mission to redefine sound at a cosmic level. Stay tuned
for Wagon Christ's next album, _Tally Ho_.
Pietro Da Sacco (mbm@netcore.ca) This review: September 6, 1998
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